Component 2 : Coastal change and conflict Flashcards
Name an example of a soft rock landscape
An example of a soft rock landscape includes bays
Name examples of hard rock landscapes
Examples of hard rock landscapes include:
- Wave cut platforms
- Headlands (where caves, arches and stacks are formed)
What are the features of hard rock landscapes?
Hard rock landscapes are high, steep and rugged
What are concordant coasts?
Concordant coasts are made up of the same rock type, parallel to the sea
What are discordant coasts?
Discordant coasts are where rocks alternate in layers perpendicular to the sea, forming headlands and bays
What factors affect the rate of erosion?
Factors that affect the rate of erosion include :
- Geological structure
- Wave climate (how powerful waves are, wave direction, wave height, fetch)
- Local currents and tidal range
- Groundwater levels
How are headlands and bays formed?
Bays are formed from when water erodes the soft rock in the cliff, and bays are formed from the hard rock which stick out due to not being able to be eroded
How are caves, arches and stacks formed?
Caves, arches and stacks are formed from when hydraulic action exerts into a crack in a cliff, causing the rock to be eroded and become a cave, until the back collapses and becomes an arch, which eventually becomes a stack then falls into a stump
How are wave-cut platforms formed?
Wave-cut platforms are formed from when waves erode wave-cut notches and cause rocks that were recently overhanging to collapse and cliffs to retreat
What is hydraulic action?
Hydraulic action is when water and air exert itself into rocks, building up pressure and causing it to break apart
What is abrasion?
Abrasion is when the rocks scrape along the seabed
What is attrition?
Attrition is when rocks knock into each other, causing them to become smaller and more rounded
What is solution?
Solution is a chemical action by seawater on some rocks, especially limestone
What are three impacts of UK climate on coastal erosion?
Three impacts of UK climate erosion include :
- The four seasons (eg freeze-thaw in the winter)
- Prevailing winds (brings warm moist air and rainfall leading to weathering and mass movement)
- Storm frequency (increased eroding power in waves)
What are the three types of weathering in coastal erosion?
The three types of weathering involved in coastal erosion include mechanical weathering, biological weathering, chemical weathering
What is freeze-thaw?
Freeze-thaw is when water in cracks in the rock expands, over time causing the crack to widen and pieces of rock to fall off. This is most common in cold climates.
What is biological weathering?
Biological weathering is caused by plants and animals and its action speeds up mechanical or chemical weathering
What is chemical weathering?
Chemical weathering happens when the rock’s mineral composition is changed
What is mass movement?
Mass movement is the downhill movement of material under the influence of gravity
When does deposition occur?
Deposition occurs when there is shallow water, in sheltered areas and where there is good supply of material
What are the human factors that affect coastal areas?
Human factors that affect coastal areas include development, industry, agriculture, tourism and infrastructure
What are the advantages of sea walls?
The advantages of sea walls are that they protect the base of cliffs, made of resistant concrete, if ‘recurved’, It reflects the energy
What are the disadvantages of sea walls?
The disadvantages of sea walls is that they are expensive, restricts beach access and are unsightly
What are the advantages of groynes?
The benefits of groynes is that they build a wide beach, and the wide beach attracts tourists
What are the disadvantages of groynes?
The disadvantages of groynes is that they require high maintenance as wood rots, sand prevents from moving so can cause erosion further along the coast
What are the advantages of beach replenishment?
The advantages of beach replenishment is that they look natural and attracts tourists as well as being cheap
What are the disadvantages of beach replenishment?
The disadvantages of bleach replenishment is that material is easily transported away and replacement sediment is needed regularly
What are the advantages of slope stabilisation?
The advantages of slope stabilisation is that they prevent mass movement, keeps cliff in place and are safer for people on the beach
What are the disadvantages of slope stabilisation?
The disadvantage of slope stabilisation is that it is difficult to instal and is costly
What is the evidence of past processes of erosion?
The evidence of past processes of erosion include:
- Geology
- Tectonics
- Glaciation
How can we use geology as evidence of past erosion processes?
Geology - fossils in rocks show what the landscape was like historically eg limestone was formed by the compaction of skeletons if marine organisms
How can we use tectonics as evidence of past erosion processes?
Tectonics - 300 million years ago plate movement affected the land - the plate the UK sits on moved away from the tropics causing land to cause faults and raise land
How can we use glaciation as evidence of past erosion processes?
Glaciation - Glaciers of the most recent Ice Age caused river valleys to not only deepened but widen too
What are the human activities which affected upland landscapes?
Human activities of the past that affected upland landscapes include:
- limestone and stocks left by glaciers made good building stones for Norse farmers
- Land cleared for farming
What physical processes affect upland and lowland landscapes?
Chemical/Biological/Mechanical weathering and mass movement affected lowland and upland landscapes
What past human activity affected lowland landscapes?
Past human activity which affected lowland landscapes include:
- Fertile soil is used for farming due to geology
- Hard crystalline from chalk was used as a building material
