Coasts- Marine Processes Flashcards
Deposition along high energy coastlines
- small particles (clay/sand) easily transported
- large heavier material is deposited, forming single beaches
Deposition along low energy coastlines
Even the smallest matter is deposited firming mudflats and salt marshes
Hydraulic action
- the impact on ricks from the sheer force of water
- can exert enormous pressure on a rock surface, weakening it
Wave quarrying
- a breaking wave traps air as it hits a cliff face
- the air is compressed into any gaps- causes huge pressure
- as water retreats there is an explosive effect of air pressure being released
- cliff face weakened allowing storms to remove large chunks (cavitation)
Abrasion/corrosion
- eroded material being thrown against the rock by the waves
- also conducts erosion of wave cut platforms due to movement of material back and forth
Attrition
-rocks which are carrying out abrasion are worn down into smaller rounder particles
Solution (corrosion)
- not common as sea water is usually alkaline not acidic
- but wheee sea water interacts with freshwater supplies, carbon based rocks (eg. limestone) may be dissolved
Traction
The rolling of coarse sediment along the sea bed that is too heavy to be picked up and carried by the sea
Saltation
Sediment ‘bounced’ along the seabed, light enough to be picked up or dislodged but too heavy to remain with the flow of water
Suspension
Smaller (lighter) sediment picked up and carried within the flow of the water
Suspension
Chemicals dissolved in the water, transported and precipitated elsewhere. This plays an important role in the carbon cycle, transferring and redepositing carbon in the oceans