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A2 Geography > Coasts > Flashcards

Coasts Flashcards

1
Q

How is the coast a natural system?

A
  • Inputs of energy and sediment
  • Erosional landforms and landscapes
  • Depositional landforms and landscapes
  • Outputs of energy, sediment removal and sediment above tidal limit
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2
Q

What are the coastal zones?

A

Offshore, Nearshore, Foreshore, Backshore, Swash Zone, Breaker Zone, Surf Zone

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3
Q

Zones of the coast in order moving from sea to land

A

Offshore > Nearshore > Foreshore > Backshore

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4
Q

Wave zones in the correct order

A

Swash Zone > Breaker Zone > Surf Zone

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5
Q

What is the Offshore?

A

Beyond the point where waves have an impact on the seabed

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6
Q

What is the Nearshore?

A

Between Low Water Mark and area where waves cease to have an influence on the seabed

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7
Q

What is the Foreshore?

A

Between High Water Mark and Low Water Mark

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8
Q

What is the Backshore?

A

Above High Water Mark up to landward limit of marine activity

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9
Q

What is the Swash Zone?

A

Turbulent water rushes up the beach as the swash

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10
Q

What is the Breaker Zone?

A

Waves approaching begin to break

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11
Q

What is the Surf Zone?

A

Between waves breaking and moving up the beach as swash

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12
Q

What are the sources of energy?

A
  • Waves
  • Winds
  • Tides
  • Wave Refraction
  • Currents
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13
Q

Wind as a source of energy

A

The energy depends on the strength, duration and fetch

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14
Q

Tides as a source of energy

A

Gravitational pull of the moon, and the sun, create a spring tide every 14 days when aligned and neap tide every 14 days when at a right angle.

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15
Q

Wave Refraction as a source of energy

A

Energy of a wave becomes concentrated on headlands and dissipated at bays, as waves in shallow water slow down due to friction with the sea bed.

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16
Q

Features of a Destructive Wave

A
  • High height
  • 10-14/minute
  • Backwash more powerful than swash
  • Sediment removed
  • Steep beaches
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17
Q

Features of a Constructive Wave

A
  • Low height
  • 6-8/minute
  • Swash more powerful than backwash
  • Beach built up
  • Gentle beaches
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18
Q

Why do tides vary?

A
  • Morphology of sea bed
  • Proximity of land masses
  • Coriolis force
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19
Q

Three different types of currents

A
  • Longshore currents
  • Rip currents
  • Upwelling
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20
Q

What are longshore currents?

A

Longshore drift

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21
Q

What are Rip currents?

A

Move away from the coastline, e.g. at a headland

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22
Q

What is Upwelling?

A

Cold water makes its way to the surface

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23
Q

What are Sediment cells?

A

A stretch of coastline, usually bordered by two headlands, where the movement of sediment is largely contained.

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24
Q

How many sediment cells are there around England and Wales?

A

11

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25
Q

What is the Sediment Budget?

A

The amount of sediment that is available and tries to be in dynamic equilibrium. Can be upset by a storm or sudden increase in discharge or by human activity.

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26
Q

What are the geomorphological processes?

A
  • Erosion
  • Transportation
  • Deposition
  • Weathering
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27
Q

Definition of geomorphological process

A

Processes involved in the change of landforms

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28
Q

What are the coastal processes of erosion?

A
  • Wave Quarrying
  • Attrition
  • Solution
  • Hydraulic Action
  • Abrasion
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29
Q

What is Wave Quarrying?

A

Cavitation that traps air causing huge pressure, which is released when wave withdraws

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30
Q

What is Attrition?

A

Material being carried by the sea hits against each other becoming smaller, rounder and smoother

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31
Q

What is Solution?

A

Rocks, normally limestone or other rocks containing carbon, are dissolved. This is normally by rainfall and is therefore not technically erosion.

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32
Q

What is Hydraulic Action?

A

Sheer force of water puts pressure on the rocks and forces them apart

33
Q

What is Abrasion?

A

Material is used by the waves e.g. shingle which is thrown at the cliff

34
Q

What are the coastal processes of transportation?

A
  • Saltation
  • Traction
  • Solution
  • Suspension
  • Longshore Drift
35
Q

What is Saltation?

A

Sediment bounces along the bed of the sea and dislodges other particles

36
Q

What is Traction?

A

Bedload rolls along the seabed

37
Q

What is Solution? (T)

A

Minerals are dissolved and are carried in the water

38
Q

What is Suspension?

A

Particles are carried along in the water

39
Q

What is Longshore Drift?

A

Swash comes in at an angle due to prevailing wind direction, backwash straight back down due to gravity moves material in a zig zag along the coast

40
Q

What are the coastal processes of Deposition?

A
  • Where marine energy is lost

- Aeolin (carried/deposited by the wind)

41
Q

How does Deposition occur Where Marine Energy is Lost?

A
  • When wave slows down after breaking
  • Where accumulation is quicker than removal
  • Where the coast changes direction
  • Just before backwash
42
Q

What is the term to describe where the wind picks up and transports sand?

43
Q

What are Sub-Aerial Processes?

A

Land-based that happen below the air

44
Q

What are the THREE different types of Weathering?

A
  • Mechanical
  • Chemical
  • Biological
45
Q

What are the examples of Mechanical Weathering?

A
  • Freeze-thaw
  • Salt Crystallisation
  • Wetting & Drying
  • Exfoliation
46
Q

What is the process of Freeze-Thaw weathering?

A

Water gets into the cracks, expands 10%, puts pressure on rocks until they crack and break. The shattered, angular fragments are found at the base as scree (talus)

47
Q

What is the process of Salt Crystallisation weathering?

A

Salt crystals are deposited in cracks and accumulate under drier conditions, over time it applies pressure to the rocks and they crack.

48
Q

What is the process of Wetting & Drying weathering?

A

Common on the coastline, in the inter-tidal zone, with clay and shale which expands when wet and contracts when dry. This produces cracks which are then vulnerable.

49
Q

What is the process of Exfoliation weathering?

A

Rock under considerable heat will expand and then cooled by the sea causing rapid contraction. This repeated process causes the layer to crack and peel off.

50
Q

What is another name for Exfoliation?

A

Onion skin weathering

51
Q

What are examples of Chemical Weathering?

A
  • Oxidation

- Carbonation

52
Q

What is the process of Oxidation?

A

Rocks containing iron (ferrous) compounds experience this when turned into a ferric state (rusting) when oxygen and water are available, leading to disintegration

53
Q

What is the process of Carbonation?

A

Sea and rain absorb carbon dioxide forming carbonic acid which then dissolves the calcium carbonate in rocks such as limestone or chalk into calcium bicarbonate, especially

54
Q

What two animals are responsible for Biological weathering?

A

Puffin

Piddock

55
Q

How do plants cause biological weathering?

A

Growing plant roots widen cracks, in windy conditions these can widen even further. Seaweed also moves a lot in stormy conditions which weakens rock

56
Q

How do Piddocks cause biological weathering?

A

Piddocks drill holes into the rocks which weaken and get wider over time.

57
Q

How do Puffins cause biological weathering?

A

Puffins excavate nests into the rocks which weakens them

58
Q

What is Mass Movement?

A

A sub-aerial process, involving the downhill movement of material under the influence of gravity

59
Q

What are the SIX types of mass movement?

A
  • Soil Creep
  • Rotational Slumping
  • Rock Falls
  • Landslides
  • Mudflows
  • Runoff
60
Q

What is Soil Creep?

A

Very slow movement, dislodged by raindrops or wave splash and freeze/thaw or wetting/drying

61
Q

What is Rotational Slumping?

A

Heavy rain infiltrates unconsolidated soil. Impermeable soil traps water adding weight, undercutting causes collapse on slip plane.

62
Q

What are Rock Falls?

A

Physical weathering, weaknesses are exposed and it can’t be supported

63
Q

What are Landslides?

A

Significant sections of unconsolidated shales and sandstones, that have been lubricated

64
Q

What are Mudflows?

A

Excessive amounts of rainfall, infiltration can’t take place, fine particles of mud become dislodged

65
Q

What is Runoff?

A

Intense rainfall, impermeable surface, transports fine material

66
Q

Examples of Caves/Arches/Stacks

A
  • Old Harry, Swanage
  • The Needles
  • The 12 Apostles
67
Q

Examples of Cliffs/Wave Cut Platforms

A
  • Watchet, West Somerset

- Kimmeridge Bay

68
Q

Examples of Headlands & Bays

A

Swanage Bay

69
Q

What is a swash-aligned beach?

A

No drift, bays, waves parallel to beach

70
Q

What is a drift-aligned beach?

A

Drift, waves oblique, regular coastline

71
Q

What are the landforms of coastal deposition?

A
  • Beaches
  • Simple and Compound Spits
  • Tombolos
  • Offshore Bars
  • Barrier Islands
  • Bar/Barrier Beach
  • Sand Dunes
  • Saltmarsh/mudflat
72
Q

What is the process of the development of cliffs and wave cut platforms?

A
  • Waves attack the base of the cliff, via abrasion and hydraulic action
  • Create a wave-cut notch which is undercut, becomes unstable and collapses
  • Notch migrates inland and cliff retreats leaving a gently sloping wave-cut platform, exposed at low tide
  • Wave cut platform is smoothed by abrasion and solution
  • Most are less than 0.5km
73
Q

What is a concordant coastline?

A

Geology runs parallel to the coast e.g South Dorset and Dalmatian Coastline

74
Q

What is a discordant coastline?

A

Geology positioned at right angles e.g. Purbeck, Dorset

75
Q

What are the factors in the development of cliff profile features?

A
  • Structure
  • Lithology
  • Geomorphology
76
Q

How does Lithology affect cliff profile feature development?

A

Physical properties of a rock such as its resistance to erosion, or rock type

77
Q

How does structure affect cliff profile feature development?

A

Whether the rocks run parallel or perpendicular, joints and bedding planes.

  • Horizontal: produce steep cliffs
  • Dip towards sea: less stable, joints exposed
  • Dip towards land: more stable
78
Q

How does Geomorphology affect cliff profile feature development?

A

shape of the coastline e.g. refraction

79
Q

What are inputs into coastal systems?

A
  • Energy from waves, wind, tides and sea currents
  • Sediment
  • Geology of the coastline
  • Sea level change

A2 Geography (17 decks)

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