coasts

Question 1

what is the littoral zone?

Answer 1

the boundary between land and sea. A constantly changing zone because of the interaction between the processes operating in the seas, oceans, and on land.

Question 2

what are the sections of the littoral zone?

Answer 2

backshore (above influence of waves)
foreshore (inter-tidal surf zone)
nearshore (breaker zone)
offshore (beyond influence of waves)

Question 3

what is dynamic equilibrium?

Answer 3

when inputs and outputs of the open coastal system are balanced and equal

Question 4

what are the inputs of the coastal system?

Answer 4

marine: waves, tides, storm surges, salt spray
atmospheric: wind, climate, solar energy
land: geology, lithology, tectonic
people: management, urbanisation

Question 5

what are the processes of the coastal system?

Answer 5

erosion
deposition
transportation
weathering
mass movement

Question 6

what are the outputs of the coastal system?

Answer 6

erosional landforms: headlands, bays, caves, arches, stumps, stacks, wave cut platforms
depositional landforms: spits, salt marshes, beaches, sand dunes
discordant/ concordant coasts

Question 7

define geology

Answer 7

an earth science comprising the study of solid earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change

Question 8

what is igneous rock

Answer 8

formed through the cooling and solidification of magma or lava e.g. pumice

Question 9

what is a sedimentary rock?

Answer 9

formed by the accumulation and the consolidation of sediments e.g. limestone

Question 10

what is metamorphic rock?

Answer 10

a result of a transformation of a pre-existing rock. The original rock is subjected to high heat and pressure, which cause physical and chemical changes e.g Marble

Question 11

what is a high energy coastline?

Answer 11

Rocky coasts, in the UK, these tend to be stretched on the Atlantic facing coast, waves here are powerful for most of the year e.g. in Cornwall. Rate of erosion exceeds rate of deposition. Erosional landforms such as headlands, cliffs, and shoreline platforms are found here.

Question 12

what is a low energy coastline?

Answer 12

sandy and estuarine coasts, in the UK these tend to be stretches of the coast where the waves are less powerful, or where the coast is sheltered from large waves. In these areas, the rate of deposition exceeds the rate of erosion. Landforms such as beaches, spits, and coastal plains tend to be found here

Question 13

what are some features of high energy coasts?

Answer 13

destructive waves, stormy conditions, erosion, long fetches, rocky landscapes, atlantic coasts, cliffs, wave cut platforms

Question 14

what are some features of low energy coasts?

Answer 14

constructive waves, deposition, beaches, spits, lowlands, east anglian coasts

Question 15

define lithology?

Answer 15

the rock type. The physical and chemical characteristics of rocks in a particular location. Lithology is small scale- seen under a microscope or in a rock specimen

Question 16

explain weak and strong lithologies

Answer 16

weak: low resistance to erosion, weathering, and mass movements
strong: highly resistant to erosion, weathering, mass movements

Question 17

where in the UK is more resistant geology?

Answer 17

south west of the UK bears the brunt of the worst of the weather from the Atlantic ocean. Cornwall’s rocky coastline can withstand the frequent winter storms without suffering from rapid erosion- it is made from older and more resistant rocks such as igneous rocks, older compacted sedimentary rocks, and metamorphic rocks.

Question 18

where in the UK are coastal plain landscapes?

Answer 18

east and south of the UK -weaker younger rocks including chalk, clay, sand, and sandstone. Environments are low-energy so wave power isn’t as strong- more deposition happening than erosion. If wave power was much stronger, erosion would be vast. The wash is an area of low, flat relief referred to as a coastal plain. It has a range of habitats from tidal creeks to mud flats, salt marshes and lagoons. Much of the eastern coast consists of low-lying sandy beaches, for example, Bamburgh beach in Northumberland

Question 19

define coastal morphology

Answer 19

the shape and form of coastal landscapes and their features

Question 20

define coastal recession

Answer 20

the retreatment of the coastline inland due to erosion

Question 21

define strata

Answer 21

layers of rock

Question 22

define bedding planes

Answer 22

horizontal cracks, natural breaks in the strata, caused by gaps in time during periods of rock formation

Question 23

define joints

Answer 23

fractures caused either by contraction as sediments dry out, or by earth movements during uplift

Question 24

define folds

Answer 24

formed by pressure during tectonic activity, which makes rocks buckle and crumple

Question 25

define faults

Answer 25

formed when the stress or pressure to which a rock is subjected exceeds its internal strength causing it to fracture. The faults then slip or move along fault planes

Question 26

define fault planes

Answer 26

the zone which a fault slips or moves along

Question 27

define coastal dip

Answer 27

refers to the angle at which rock strata lie (horizontally, vertically, dipping towards the sea or dipping inland)

Question 28

define relief

Answer 28

height and slope of land

Question 29

how are resistant and less resistant rocks arranged in a concordant coastline?

Answer 29

strata arranged parallel to coastline

Question 30

how are resistant and less resistant rocks arranged in a discordant coastline?

Answer 30

strata arranged perpendicular to coastline

Question 31

what is the case study for concordant and discordant coastlines

Answer 31

Isle of Purbeck- dorset

Question 32

what part of the Isle of Purbeck has a concordant coastline

Answer 32

the south, lulworth cove

Question 33

outline lulworth cove case study

Answer 33

concordant coast on south of isle of purbeck. made of resistant purbeck limestone and less resistant clays and sands. sea gradually eroded resistant rock to access less resistant rock which is rapidly eroded resulting in a cove

Question 34

what is the discordant coastline case study

Answer 34

isle of purbeck, durlston head

Question 35

where is the discordant coastline on isle of purbeck

Answer 35

east of isle, durlston head

Question 36

what are two further variations of concordant coastlines?

Answer 36

dalmation and Haff coasts.

Question 36

explain durlston head case study

Answer 36

discordant coastline, east of the isle of purbeck. more resistant limestone and consolidated clay form headlands, unconsolidated clays and sands form bays. Durlston head is a southern headland.

Question 37

what is a dalmation coastline

Answer 37

a concordant submergent coast, formed as a result of rising sea levels. Valleys and ridges run parallel to each other. When valleys flooded because of sea levels, tops of the ridges remained above the seas surface, as a series of offshore islands that run parallel to the coast. An example is the Dalmation coast in Croatia. caused by eustatic change

Question 38

what is a Haff coast?

Answer 38

concordant submergent coast with long spits of sand and lagoons aligned parallel to the coast, named after the Haffs, or lagoons of the southern shore of the Baltic sea, which are enclosed by sand spits and dunes

Question 39

outline the different angle of dip of bedding planes

Answer 39

1) horizontal dip: vertical profile
2) high angle seaward dip: sloping angle towards sea, very vulnerable
3) low angle seaward dip: may exceed 90 degrees, areas of overhanging rock so vulnerable
4) landward dip, profile of 70-80 degrees, very stable