Coasts - keywords

Question 1

erosion

Answer 1

the wearing away and removal of material by a moving force (e.g the sea)

Question 2

hydraulic power

Answer 2

process where breaking waves compress pockets of air in cracks of a cliff, forcing cracks to widen and rock to break off

Question 3

abrasion

Answer 3

broken rock fragments crash and rub against cliff faces, breaking off other rock pieces

Question 4

attrition

Answer 4

rock fragments being carried by the sea collide with each other, forming smaller and smoother pebbles

Question 5

solution/ corrosion

Answer 5

chemical erosion caused by the dissolving of rocks and minerals by sea water

Question 6

mechanical weathering

Answer 6

physical disintegration or break up of exposed rock without any change in its chemical composition

Question 7

mass movement

Answer 7

downhill movement of weathered material under the influence of gravity

Question 8

rotational slip/slumping

Answer 8

slump of saturated soil and weak rock along a curved surface

Question 9

chemical weathering

Answer 9

the decomposition of rock caused by a chemical change within that rock

Question 10

rock fall

Answer 10

the rapid, free fall of rock fragments from a steep cliff, due to freeze-thaw and weathering

Question 11

rotational slip/ slumping

Answer 11

saturated soil and weak rock slumps along a curved slip-plane

Question 12

landslide

Answer 12

blocks of rock slide downhill

Question 13

mudslide/ mudflow

Answer 13

saturated soil flows down a slope

Question 14

weathering

Answer 14

wearing away of rock by long exposure to the atmosphere in situ (where they are)

Question 15

saltation

Answer 15

rocks and pebbles bounce along the seabed

Question 16

suspension

Answer 16

small particles are carried along in the sea water

Question 17

traction

Answer 17

large pebbles are rolled along the sea bed

Question 18

solution

Answer 18

dissolved chemicals in sea water (often from limestone or chalk)

Question 19

relief

Answer 19

term to describe physical features of a landscape

Question 20

geological structure

Answer 20

the way layers of rock are folded or tilted (horizontal, vertical or diagnol)

Question 21

fault

Answer 21

crack in rock

Question 22

groynes

Answer 22

timber/rock structures built out to sea to trap sediment moved by LSD and enlarge beach

Question 23

rock armour

Answer 23

large boulders dumped at food of cliffs, forcing waves to break and absorbing their energy

Question 24

gabions

Answer 24

wire cages filled with rocks to support cliffs or provide a buffer against sea

Question 25

sea wall

Answer 25

concrete or rock barrier placed at foot of cliff with a curved face to reflect waves back out to sea

Question 26

beach nourishment

Answer 26

addition of sand or shingle to existing beach, making it higher/ wider (to increase friction)

Question 27

dune regeneration

Answer 27

artificial creation of new sand dunes to act as buffer against sea (maram grass can be planted as stabiliser)

Question 28

managed retreat

Answer 28

allowing sea to flood low-lying land, to allow natural processes to take place in protecting the coast

Question 29

lithology

Answer 29

characteristics of rock such as their resistance to erosion and permeability

Question 30

what is the difference between weathering and erosion?

Answer 30

weathering is the breakdown of rocks in situ (where they are) however erosion is when rocks are broken down and carried away by something (e.g. seawater)