Coasts EQ1

Question 1

What is meant by the littoral zone?

Answer 1

wider coastal zone including coastal land area

Question 2

What are the 5 divisions of the littoral zone?

Answer 2

coast, back shore zone, foreshore,nearshore,offshore

Question 3

What is meant by the back shore zone?

Answer 3

above high tide level and only affected by waves during high tides

Question 4

What is meant by foreshore?

Answer 4

where wave processes occur between the high and low tide

Question 5

What is meant by nearshore?

Answer 5

shallow water areas close to land

Question 6

Why is it that the zone is constantly changing?

Answer 6

interaction between the short and long term processes operating on it

Question 7

A) What short-term processes are operating in the littoral zone?
B) long term?

Answer 7

A) tides, waves

B) sea level, geology

Question 8

How many sediment cells divide the coast of England and Wales?

Answer 8

11

Question 9

Why is it useful to divide the coast into sediment cell sections?

Answer 9

to improve coastal management

Question 10

What are the two main types of coasts?

Answer 10

rocky (high and low relief), coastal plains (sandy and estuarine)

Question 11

What are the two formation processes coasts?

Answer 11

Primary : land-based processes e.g deposition at the coast

Secondary : marine erosion or deposition

Question 12

What are the 4 different coastal classification systems?

Answer 12

Formation processes
relative sea level change
tidal range
wave energy

Question 13

What are the two types of coasts with regards to sea level change?

Answer 13

emergent coasts : coast is rising relative to sea level e.g as a result of tectonic upthrust
submergent coasts: being flooded by the sea either because of sea level rise and/or subsiding land

Question 14

How are rocky coasts created?

Answer 14

high relief, resistant geology often in a high energy environment

Question 15

How are coastal plains created?

Answer 15

low land and low energy, sediment deposited at the coast causing coastal accretion (deposition of sediment at a coast that expands the area of land)

Question 16

What is meant by strata?

Answer 16

different layers of rock exposed in a cliff

Question 17

What two types of coasts are produced by geological structures?

Answer 17

concordant and discordant

Question 18

a) Describe the structure of a discordant coast

b) concordant coasts

Answer 18

a) different rock strata intersect the coast at an angle

b) rock starta run parallel to the coast

Question 19

How has geological structure influenced coastal morphology on discordant coasts?

Answer 19

headlands and bays

Question 20

How has geological structure influenced coastal morphology on concordant coasts?

Answer 20

Dalmatian and haff coasts

Question 21

What is a Dalmatian coast? (Croatia)

Answer 21

formed as a result of a rise in sea level where valleys running parallel are flooded ad tops of ridges are exposed

Question 22

What is a Haff coast? (Baltic Sea)

Answer 22

long spits of sand and lagoons aligned parallel to the coast

Question 23

What are bedding planes?

Answer 23

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

Question 24

What are joints?

Answer 24

vertical cracks, fractures caused either by contraction as sediments dry out or by earth movement during uplift

Question 25

What are folds?

Answer 25

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

Question 26

What are dips?

Answer 26

refers to angle at which rock strata lie

Question 27

What two characteristics of cliff profiles are most dominant?

Answer 27

resistance to erosion of rock | dip of rock strata

Question 28

True or false: dip is a tectonic feature

Answer 28

True

Question 29

Give two cliff profile type examples

Answer 29

horizontal dip, seaward dip high angle

Question 30

What are fissures?

Answer 30

much smaller cracks in rocks

Question 31

What are the location of micro features within cliffs such as caves often controlled by?

Answer 31

location of faults and/or strata with joints and fissures

Question 32

What are the three rock types in order of slow to fast erosion rates?

Answer 32

igneous, metamorphic, sedimentary

Question 33

Describe igneous rock and give 2 examples

Answer 33

result of tectonic activity, often contain crystals granite, basalt

Question 34

Describe metamorphic rock and give 2 examples

Answer 34

formed from extreme heat and pressure slate , marble

Question 35

Describe sedimentary rock and give 2 examples

Answer 35

made of small particles of rock sandtone, limestone

Question 36

True or false: where the rock forming cliffs is unconsolidated material (such as boulder clay), rates of recession can be much smaller?

Answer 36

False, much GREATER

Question 37

List 4 things erosion and weathering resistance are influenced by

Answer 37

how reactive mineral in the rock are whether rocks are clastic (particles cemented together) or crystalline(interlocking mineral crystals) (more resistant) degree to high rocks have cracks permeability

Question 38

Give 2 ways in which vegetation stabilises coastal sediment

Answer 38

roots bind particles together when submerged, plants provide a protective layer protection from wind

Question 39

What are halophytes and xerophytes?

Answer 39

``` halophytes = salt tolerant (salt marshes) xerophytes = drought tolerant (sand dunes) ```

Question 40

Pioneer plants species grow w in the bare sand or mud in the first stage of plant succession, describe the pioneer plants of sand dunes

Answer 40

embryo dunes = thick , fleshy leaves to store water | hairs and low density strata to reduce transpiration

Question 41

What is the name of the pioneer plant in salt marshes?

Answer 41

eelgrass

Question 42

Why are estuarine areas ideal for the development of salt marshes?

Answer 42

sheltered from strong waves, | rivers transport supply of sediment to river mouth

Question 43

What is a climatic climax community?

Answer 43

biological community

Question 44

What is humus?

Answer 44

organic component of soil formed by decomposition