Coasts - 2B.2 Flashcards
1
Q
Geology: resistant rock coastlines
A
- In the south west, Cornwall bears the brunt of the worst weather from the Atlantic. Due to its geology, Cornwall can withstand the winter storms without eroding. It’s made of older and more resistant rocks such as igneous (basalt and granite), older sedimentary (old red sandstone), metamorphic (slate and schists) and these re all resistance to the erosive power of the sea, wind and rain.
2
Q
Lithology definition
A
chemical and physical characteristics of rock type
3
Q
Rock structure definition
A
physical characteristics - jointing, bedding, faulting, angle of dip
4
Q
High energy coastlines
A
- very powerful waves
- erosion > deposition
- erosional landforms - headlands, cliffs, shoreline platforms
- Eg. Cornwall and North West Scotland
5
Q
Low energy coastlines
A
- less powerful waves
- deposition > erosion
- depositional landforms - beaches, spits, coastal plains
- Eg. Lincolnshire coastline and Northumberland coastline
6
Q
Metamorphic rock types
A
- slow erosion
- Eg. Slate, schist and marble
- changed due to heat or pressure - may now be crystalline - no bedding planes but may have foliation (all crystals same way) = weak. They can be heavily folded and faulted making it even weaker
7
Q
Sedimentary rock types
A
- moderate/fast erosion
- Eg. sandstone, shale, and limestone
- Clastic (made of smaller pieces), sediment laid down over time in bedding planes, joints between layers - weak points
- Shale is easily eroded and has many bedding planes
8
Q
Igneous rock types
A
- very slow erosion
- Eg. granite, basalt and dolerite
- made of crystals that are interlinked and may have cooled slowly over thousands of years
- there are no natural weak points
- forms headlands
9
Q
Strata definition
A
layers of rock
10
Q
Bedding planes
A
areas of contact/gaps between the layers
11
Q
Fault definition
A
fractures along which movement occurs
12
Q
Joint definition
A
fractures along which no movement has occurred
13
Q
Dip definition
A
refers to the angle at which a rock strata lie (horizontally, vertically, dip towards the sea or land)
14
Q
Folds definition
A
formed by pressure during tectonic activity
15
Q
Geology: Coastal plain landscapes
A
- eastern and southern Britain has a weaker and younger geology - chalks, sand, sandstone. Low energy so waves aren’t as strong. Deposition > erosion
- the Wash - areas of low, flat relief referred to as a coastal plain. Theres a range of habitats - tidal creeks to music flats, salt marshes and lagoons
- much of the eastern coast consists of low-lying sandy beaches eg. Bamburgh beach in Northumberland
