Coasts Flashcards
What are destructive waves?
Waves that are formed by strong winds, blown over along fetch. The backwash is stronger than the swash, it destroys a beach
What are constructive waves?
Waves that are formed by light winds and short fetches. The swash is stronger than the backwash, it builds a beach.
What is a discordant coastline?
Bands of resistant and less resistant rock run at right angles
What is a concordant coastline?
Hard and soft rock running parallel to the coastline
What do discordant coastlines create?
Harder rocks erodes slower than soft rocks, creating headlands. Bags are where there is soft rocks
Why are concordant coastlines generally straight?
The rock erodes at a similar rate all along the coast
What are faults and joints?
Lines of weakness in a rock, crack
What is the coast, what occurs here?
Boundary between sea and land.
Processes of erosion, transport and deposition occur here
How do hard and soft rocks influence coastal landforms?
Hard rocks (e.g. granite) resist erosion, forming headlands; soft rocks (e.g. sandstone) erode easily, forming bays
Name and describe the four processes of coastal erosion?
Hydraulic action: water forces into cracks, breaking rocks apart
Abrasion: rocks and sand scrape the coastline
Attrition: rocks collide and break into smaller, smoother pieces
Solution: minerals dissolve water
What is a wave-cut platform, and how is it formed? *haven’t learnt this yet
A flat area left behind as waves erode a cliff, forming a wave- cut notch
What is longshore drift
Sediment is transported along the coast by waves hitting at an angle
How is a spit formed? *expand answer
Longshore drift deposits sediment in sheltered areas; a hook may form with changes in wind direction
What is hard engineering? Give examples
Man made structures to control erosion, e.g. sea walls, grounds, revetments
What is soft engineering?
Working with nature, e.g. beach nourishment, sand dunes
