Coasts Eq1 Flashcards
What is the littoral zone
Area of shoreline where land is subject to wave action
What is the littoral zone made up of
4 zones:
Backshore - only affected during storm events
Foreshore - tidal zone
Nearshore - friction influences sea bed
Offshore - open ocean
What is a coastal plain
Low relief, deposition is dominant process, has sand dunes, beaches, salt marshes
What is a rocky coast
Resistant rock, erosion is dominant process
What is an emergent coast
Sea level is dropping
What is a submergent coast
Sea level is rising
What is a low energy coast
Area with a smaller wave fetch, constructive waves, deposition, beaches can be found
What is a high energy coast
Area with large wave fetch, destructive waves, high erosion, headlands can be found
What is a sediment cell
Self contained section of coast where sediment can move, but it cannot move from one cell to another. Each cell is made up of inputs (e.g waves, wind speed and direction), transfers (erosion, deposition) and outputs (e.g beaches, sand dunes)
What is a concordant coast
Stripes of alternate resistant and less resistant rock parallel to the coast line
What is a discordant coast
Stripes of alternate resistant and less resistant rock perpendicular to coastline
What is a Haff coast
Found on southern fringes if baltic sea, long sediment ridges with sand dunes run parallel to the coastline just off the shore, creating lagoons
What is a Dalmatian coast
Bands of resistant rock where soft layers have been eroded, producing parallel islands
What is strata
Layers of rock, found between sedimentary rock, lines of weakness can be found between layers
What are bedding planes
Horizontal cracks between strata, also known as lines of weakness, found in sedimentary rocks