Coastal Processes And Landforms

Question 1

Backwash

Answer 1

the movement of water from a broken wave as it runs down a beach returning to the ocean

Question 2

Beach nourishment

Answer 2

Taking the sand from the sea and putting it back on the beach to widen and replenish the beach
-one severe storm will wreck everything

Question 3

Beach reshaping

Answer 3

• sand dunes+cliffs=natural defence
• dissipate wave energy
• protect the land behind the sand dunes
• stable by plants+fences
• cheap+effective
• easily damaged by humans

Question 4

Cliff

Answer 4

Formed by the action of waves on rock

Erode soft rock, leaving the durable rock behind

Question 5

Cave

Answer 5

Waves encounter a weak spot in the cliff, wearing away the rock
Creating a small opening, which is soon enlarged into a cave

Question 6

Gorge

Answer 6

Some caves can be hundreds of metres long

Waves enter long caves wear away the roof, causing it to collapse

Question 7

Arch

Answer 7

Waves erode the back of a cave

Penetrate right through the headland producing an arch

Question 8

Headland

Answer 8

Harder rock that can resist the energy of destructive waves longer
High, rocky outcrops of land

Question 9

Bay

Answer 9

Softer parts of a coastline wear away

Headlands become bays

Question 10

Stack

Answer 10

Soft rock of arches is eroded by destructive waves

Rock above arches eventually falls into the sea leaving behind stacks

Question 11

Beaches

Answer 11

Most common depositional landform

Formed by constructive waves carrying material (sand, pebbles, broken shells) and depositing them on shore.

Question 12

Sand dunes

Answer 12

Dry sand carried by the wind
The grains get trapped or may collect in areas sheltered from wind
Sand piles up over time creating sand dunes

Question 13

Blowout dunes

Answer 13

Sand dunes that have gradually moved further inland, covering roads, car parks, paddocks and plants .
Due to plants being removed which means nothing is holding the dunes together

Question 14

Spit

Answer 14

Long, curved landform built up at the mouth of a river

River carries soil and rock downstream and then the material is deposited at the river mouth causing a spit

Question 15

Tombolo

Answer 15

Permanent connection between the island and the mainland

Waves curve around an island close to shore and deposit a bar of sand or other sediment on the lee side of the island

Question 16

Lagoon

Answer 16

Stretch of calm water behind a spit

Mouth of river moves over thousands of years forming a lagoon

Question 17

Groynes

Answer 17

• most frequently used
• help build up material on beach
• short life span
• reduce loss of sediment
• right angle to beach

Question 18

Sea walls

Answer 18

• vertical/sloping structure
• stop erosion
• don’t absorb wave energy - max impact
• temporary
• not aesthetically pleasing

Question 19

Rock armour (rip rap)

Answer 19

• large boulders
• permeable
• cheaper + longer lasting
• unappealing can reduce recreational value

Question 20

Break waters

Answer 20

• artificial offshore structure
• protect harbours
• prevents direct impact of waves onto shore which prevents beach erosion

Question 21

Destructive waves

Answer 21

• stronger backwash
• take material from land
• high energy waves
• can erode

Question 22

Constructive waves

Answer 22

• stronger swash
• deposit material on land
• less powerful
• transport material

Question 23

Swash

Answer 23

the movement of water in a wave as it breaks onto a beach

Question 24

Hydraulic action

Answer 24

the erosion that occurs when the motion of water against a rock surface produces mechanical weathering

Question 25

Corrosion

Answer 25

the erosion of rock as a result of weak acids contained in sea water

Question 26

Longshore drift

Answer 26

the movement of sediment along the coast as a result of waves breaking on the shore from the direction of the prevailing wind

Question 27

Stump

Answer 27

formed when a stack is eroded by wave action and collapses

Question 28

Mountain landform

Answer 28

formed by tectonic plates on the Earth's surface pushing against one another, causing land to be pushed upward over time

Question 29

Desert landscape

Answer 29

an area of land which receives no more than 25mm of rain per year

Question 30

Rainforest landscape

Answer 30

areas of lush forest that can be found along the Equator, receiving high amounts of sunlight and rainfall

Question 31

Grassland landscape

Answer 31

these landscapes are seen as a transitional landscape between deserts and forests, and contain grasses and widely spaced small trees

Question 32

Polar landscape

Answer 32

characterised by permafrost, they are too cold for most vegetation to grow

Question 33

Karst landscape

Answer 33

formed when easily dissolvable bedrock is worn away by slightly acidic water from an underground source

Question 34

Coastal/aquatic landscape

Answer 34

the area in which the land meets the sea, shaped by natural forces of wind and waves

Question 35

Island landscape

Answer 35

areas of land that are surrounded completely by water - they can be continental or oceanic

Question 36

Built landscape

Answer 36

areas of land that have been shaped by humans - they provide evidence of human settlement and occupation of an environment

Question 37

Erosion

Answer 37

the process whereby soil and rocks are worn away and moved to a new location by agents such as wind, water or ice

Question 38

Transportation

Answer 38

the process that moves eroded material to a new location

Question 39

Deposition

Answer 39

materials moved by wind, water and ice that eventually come to a halt in a new location

Question 40

Weathering

Answer 40

the breakdown of rocks due to the action of rainwater, temperature change and biological action - the material is not transported/removed

Question 41

Physical weathering

Answer 41

occurs where water is continually freezing and thawing inside cracks in rocks, breaking apart the rocks over time

Question 42

Chemical weathering

Answer 42

occurs when chemicals in certain rocks react with water, causing the rock to dissolve

Question 43

Biological weathering

Answer 43

occurs when living organisms such as algae produce chemicals that break down rocks, and when plant roots force rock apart