Coasts Flashcards

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1
Q

Abrasion

A

A type of erosion involving rock particles being scraped against, and wearing away, the surface of other rocks.

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2
Q

Arch

A

A coastal feature created by the erosion of back-to-back caves

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3
Q

Attrition

A

A type of erosion involving rock fragments being ground together to become smaller, smoother and rounder.

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4
Q

Backwash

A

When the water from a wave retreats back into the sea

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5
Q

Bay

A

An area of sea between two headlands.

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6
Q

Beach

A

A beach is a narrow, gently sloping strip of land that lies along the edge of an ocean, lake, or river

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7
Q

Solution (Corrosion)

A

A chemical process involving the dissolving away of rocks e.g. chalk or limestone.

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8
Q

Erosion

A

The wearing away of material

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9
Q

Estuary

A

Where freshwater from rivers and streams mixes with salt water from the ocean. Subject to tides.

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10
Q

Headland

A

A point of land usually high and often with a sheer drop, that extends into a body of water.

It is because the rock is very resistant

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11
Q

Hydraulic Action

A

Where water enters cracks in the cliff face, compresses air within the cracks and causes pressure to be exerted on the surrounding rock, which weakens and breaks

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12
Q

Longshore Drift

A

The movement of sand and pebbles along a beach by wave action.

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13
Q

Saltation

A

Pebbles bounce along the river bed

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14
Q

Solution

A

The transport of dissolved chemicals

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15
Q

Swash

A

An incoming coastal wave.

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16
Q

Traction

A

The transport of boulders in a rolling motion in water.

17
Q

Weathering

A

The breakdown of rocks in-situ by mechanical, chemical or biological means.

18
Q

How are headlands and bays formed?

A

1) Hard rock and soft rock next to water
2) A wave attack erodes the soft rock, but leaves the hard rock.
3) Differential erosion occurs.
4) The eroded area becomes a bay and the hard rock becomes a headland.

19
Q

How are wave cut platforms made?

A

1) The sea attacks a weakness in the base of the cliff.
2) A wave-cut notch is created by erosional processes such as hydraulic action and abrasion.
3) As the notch becomes larger, the cliff becomes unstable and collapses as a result of gravity.
4) The cliff retreats inland.
5) The material from the collapsed cliff face is eroded and transported away.
6) This leaves a wave-cut platform; the process repeats over time.

20
Q

What is the difference between weathering and erosion?

A

Weathering is the breakdown of material, but erosion is the wearing away of material.

21
Q

How are caves, arches, stacks and stumps formed (CASS)?

A
  • Wave attacks form faults in a cliff via hydraulic action and abrasion. The fault is enlarged to become a CAVE.
  • The cave is widened and deepened by erosion (HA and abrasion) until it eventually cuts through the headland and becomes an ARCH.
  • Undercutting from the waves and a lack of support for the roof of the arch leads the roof to collapse, leaving a STACK.
  • Weathering and erosion undercut the back of the stack until it collapses, forming a stump.
22
Q

How does longshore drift occur?

A
  • The swash moves up the beach at an angle determined by the direction of the prevailing wind and waves.
  • When the wave has broken, the backwash returns to the sea at a 90 degrees angle.
  • In this way, sediment (sand and pebbles) are moved up the beach, and then they will collect against a groyne.
23
Q

What are some features of a constructive wave?

A
  • Wave height is small
  • Less frequent.
  • A strong swash moves sediment up the beach
  • A weak backwash carries away little sediment.
  • Gives the beach a gentler profile.
24
Q

What are some features of a destructive wave?

A
  • The wave height is larger
  • More frequent
  • A weak swash carries less sediment up the beach
  • A strong backwash carries away lots of sediment
  • This can build steep beaches.
25
Q

How is a spit formed?

A

1) Sediment is carried by longshore drift.
2) When there is a change in the shape of the coastline, deposition occurs.
3) A long thin ridge of material is deposited. This is the spit.
4) A hooked end can form if there is a change in wind direction.

26
Q

What is the difference between hard and soft engineering?

A

Hard engineering - artificial structures

Soft engineering - sustainable and natural approach

27
Q

What is beach nourishment?

A

Beach nourishment is the practice of adding large quantities of sand or sediment to beaches to combat erosion and increase beach width.

28
Q

What is managed retreat?

A
  • Soft engineering, allows the erosion and flooding to happen
  • Retreat further down the coast
  • Allows the natural processes of the sea to occur
  • Area of low value are allowed to flood, which protects areas of higher importance down the coast.
29
Q

What is cliff stabilisation?

A

Soft engineering, cliffs are covered in matting and vegetation planted to help make them more stable and resistant to erosion.

30
Q

What is a sea wall?

A
  • Extremely effective
  • Hard Engineering
  • A wall placed at the base of a cliff to reflect the waves energy
  • Extremely expensive (£10,000 per km)
  • Ugly
31
Q

What are gabions?

A
  • Hard engineering
  • Cages of wire filed with rocks to absorb the waves energy
  • Effective
  • Cheap
  • Environmentally ugly
32
Q

What are groynes?

A
  • Hard engineering structures
  • Used to trap sediment and build up beaches
  • Protecting cliffs from erosion
  • Causing increased erosion downstream
  • Over a 25-30 year period.
33
Q

What are rip raps?

A
  • Hard engineering
  • Large rocks placed at the bottom of the cliff to absorb wave energy
  • Effective at dispersing wave energy
  • Cheap
  • Ugly
34
Q

Suspension

A

Lighter sediment is suspended (carried) within the water