Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

AS/A-Level Geography > COASTS: Coastal Landforms > Flashcards

COASTS: Coastal Landforms Flashcards

You may prefer our related Brainscape-certified flashcards:
U.S. Geography flashcards World Geography flashcards
1
Q

List coastal landforms caused by erosion:

A

Cliffs and wave cut platforms

Headlands and bays

Caves, arches and stacks

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

How do cliffs form?

A
  • Sea erodes the land.
  • Overtime, cliffs retreat due to wave action and weathering.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

How do wave-cut platforms form?

A
  • Waves attack base of cliff, via abrasio and hydraulic action.
  • Creates a wave-cut notch which is undercut.
  • This becomes unstable and collapses.
  • Notch migrates inland and cliff retreats.
  • Wave cut platform is smoothed via abrasion and solution.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

How are headlands and bays formed?

A
  • Formed on discordant coastlines.
  • Soft rock is eroded quickly, forming a bay.
  • Hard rock is eroded less and forms a headland.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

How are caves, arches and stacks formed?

A
  • Weak areas in rock / joints are eroded to form caves.
  • Caves on opposite sides of the narrow headland join to form an arch.
  • When an arch collapses, it forms a stack.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

What coastal landforms are caused by deposition?

A

Beaches

Spits

Offshore bars and tombolos

Barrier islands

Sand dunes

Estuarine mudflats and salt marshes

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

How are beaches formed?

A

Constructive waves deposit sediment on the shore.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

What is the differences between shingle and sand beaches?

A
  • Shingle beaches are steep, narrow and made of larger particles.
  • Sand beaches are wide, flat and made of smaller particles.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

What are 3 distinctive features of a beach?

A

Berms

Runnels

Cusps

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Berms

A

Ridges of sand and pebbles found at high tide marks.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Runnels

A

Grooves in the sand running parallel to the shore, formed by backwash draining to the sea.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Cusps

A

Crescent-shaped indentations that form on beaches of mixed sand and shingle.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Where do spits tend to form?

A

When the coastline changes direction.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

How are spits formed?

A
  • LSD continues to dpeosit material across the river mouth, leaving a bank of sand and shingle sticking out.
  • Occasional changes to dominant wind direction may lead to spit having a recurved end.
  • Recurved ends can be abandoned as the waves return to their original direction - compound spit.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Compound spit

A

A spit that has multiple recurved ends resulting from several periods of growth.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Simple spit

A

A straight spit that grows out roughly parallel to the coast.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

What often forms in the area behind a spit?

Why?

A

Mudflats and saltmarshes.

Because the area is sheltered.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

Bars

A

Formed when a spit joins two headlands together, eg. across a bay or the mouth of a river.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

What can form behind a bar?

A

A lagoon.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

Offshore bars

A

Bars that form off the coast when material moves towards the coast - these are partly submerged.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

Tombolo

A

A bar that connects the shore to an island.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

Barrier island

A

Long, narrow islands of sand or gravel that run parallel to the shore and are detached from it.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

Where do barrier islands tend to form?

A
  • Good supply of sediment.
  • Gentle slope offshore
  • Fairly powerful waves
  • Small tidal range
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

What are the two theories behind the formation of barrier islands?

A
  • Rapid ice melting from last ice age flooded the land behind beaches and transported sand offshore, where it was deposited in shallow water.
  • Islands were orignally bars, attached to the coast, which were eroded in sections causing breaches in the bar.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

What often forms behind a barrier island?

A

Lagoon or marsh

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

How are sand dunes formed?

A
  • Sand deposited by LSD is moved up the beach by the wind.
  • Sand is trapped by driftwood or berms and is colonised by plants and grasses.
  • Vegetation stabilises the sand and encourages more sand to accumulate.
  • Embryo dunes form.
  • Oldest dunes migrate inland - mature dunes.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

Where do mudflats and saltmarshes form?

A

In sheltered, low-energy environments.

28
Q

How are mudflats formed?

A

Mud and silt is deposited by the rive or the tide.

29
Q

How are saltmarshes formed?

A
  • Mudflats are colonised by vegetation that can survive the high salt levels and long submergence periods.
  • Plants trap more mud and ailt.
  • Builds upwards to create an area of saltmarsh that remains exposed for longer and longer between tides.
30
Q

Erosion by tidal currents or streams results in the formation of what in the surface of mudflats or saltmarshes?

A

Channels which may be permanently flooded or dry at low tide.

31
Q

Ridges of sand and pebbles found at high tide marks.

A

Berms

32
Q

Grooves in the sand running parallel to the shore, formed by backwash draining to the sea.

A

Runnels

33
Q

Crescent-shaped indentations that form on beaches of mixed sand and shingle.

A

Cusps

34
Q

A spit that has multiple recurved ends resulting from several periods of growth.

A

Compound spit

35
Q

A straight spit that grows out roughly parallel to the coast.

A

Simple spit

36
Q

Formed when a spit joins two headlands together, eg. across a bay or the mouth of a river.

A

Bars

37
Q

A lagoon.

A

What can form behind a bar?

38
Q

Bars that form off the coast when material moves towards the coast - these are partly submerged.

A

Offshore bars

39
Q

A bar that connects the shore to an island.

A

Tombolo

40
Q

Long, narrow islands of sand or gravel that run parallel to the shore and are detached from it.

A

Barrier island

41
Q

There are 7.

What are the coastal zones?

A

Offshore

Nearshore

Foreshore

Backshore

Swash zone

Breaker zone

Surf zone

42
Q

Offshore

A

Beyond the point where waves have an impact on the seabed.

43
Q

Nearshore

A

Between the low water mark and the area where waves cease to have an influence on the seabed.

44
Q

Forshore

A

Between the high water mark and low water mark.

45
Q

Backshore

A

Above the high water mark up to the landward limit of marine activity.

46
Q

Swash zone

A

Turbulent water rushed up to the beach - swash.

47
Q

Breaker zone

A

Waves approaching the shore begin to break.

48
Q

Surf zone

A

The area between the waves breaking and moving up the beach as swash.

49
Q

Beyond the point where waves have an impact on the seabed.

A

Offshore

50
Q

Between the low water mark and the area where waves cease to have an influence on the seabed.

A

Nearshore

51
Q

Between the high water mark and low water mark.

A

Forshore

52
Q

Above the high water mark up to the landward limit of marine activity.

A

Backshore

53
Q

Turbulent water rushed up to the beach - swash.

A

Swash zone

54
Q

Waves approaching the shore begin to break.

A

Breaker zone

55
Q

The area between the waves breaking and moving up the beach as swash.

A

Surf zone

56
Q

Give an example of caves, arches and stacks:

A

Old Harry, Swanage

57
Q

Give an example of cliffs and wave cut platforms:

A

Watchet, West Somerset

58
Q

Give an example of headlands and bays:

A

Swanage Bay

59
Q

Give an example of simple and compound spits:

A

Sandbanks, Hurst Castle, Spurn Point

60
Q

Give an example of a tombolo:

A

Chesil Beach joining the Isle of Portland

61
Q

Give an example of offshore bars:

A

Hordle Cliff

62
Q

Give an example of barrier islands:

A

Fire Island / Long Island - New York

63
Q

Give an example of a bar/barrier beach:

A

Slapton Sands

64
Q

Give an example of sand dunes:

A

Oxwich

65
Q

Give an example of saltmarshes/mudflats:

A

Keyhaven Marshes

AS/A-Level Geography (45 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions