Coastal systems and the landscapes they produce Flashcards
What is the Littoral zone?
The area of the sea close to the shore
How can coasts be classified?
They can be classified based on:
- Their geology
- The level of energy
- The balance between erosion and deposition
- Changes in sea level
What is a landscape?
The collection of landforms in an area
What is a landform?
A natural feature of earths surface
Describe erosional rocky coasts?
High energy environments where erosion rate exceeds deposition rate resulting in steep cliffs as land is eaten away
What is an example of an erosional rocky coast?
Cornwall - where there are frequent Atlantic storms and the geology is granite (therefore erosion is slow)
What is Cornwall’s geology?
Mostly hard igneous rocks such as granite and old hard sedimentary rocks such as slate
Describe a depositional coastal plain?
Low-energy environments where deposition exceeds erosion resulting in a flat coast as layers of sediment build new land
What is an example of a depositional coastal plain?
The Wash in East Anglia where there is abundant river sediment supply to a low energy environment
