Definitions

Question 1

Abrasion

Answer 1

A form of erosion where loose sediment and material ‘sandpaper’s walls and floors of a cliff or river

Question 2

Attrition

Answer 2

Rocks bang against each other, chipping away to become smaller and rounder

Question 3

Backshore

Answer 3

Upper beach closest to the land, including any cliffs or sand dunes

Question 4

Beach nourishment

Answer 4

Addition of sand and sediment to an eroding beach by humans

Question 5

Biological weathering

Answer 5

Rocks are broken apart by vegetation and roots, or chemical reactions from animal faeces erodes the rock face

Question 6

Concordant coast

Answer 6

A coastline where bands of alternate geology run parallel to the coast

Question 7

Corrasion

Answer 7

A form of mechanical erosion where material and sediment in the sea is flung at cliff-faces by waves

Question 8

Chemical weathering

Answer 8

The weak acid in rainwater dissolves chemical compounds in rocks

Question 9

Discordant coast

Answer 9

A coastline where bands of alternate geology run perpendicular to the shore

Question 10

Drainage basin

Answer 10

The area of land drained by a river and its tributaries

Question 11

Dredging

Answer 11

Removing rubbish and sediment from the bottom of a river

Question 12

Embankments

Answer 12

Banks of a river are built up in brick or concrete to increase the channel capacity

Question 13

Estuary

Answer 13

The point where the river meets the ocean, often muddy or silty.
Sometimes estuaries become exposed at low tide

Question 14

Fetch

Answer 14

The length of water over which the wind has travelled

Question 15

Floodplain

Answer 15

The low lying and wide floor of a river valley. Found in the lower course and tend to act as overspill for when the river channel is full

Question 16

Floodplain zoning

Answer 16

Controlling where houses and buildings are built relative to the river to reduce the risk of flooding

Question 17

Freeze thaw

Answer 17

A form of physical weathering where water freezes in the cracks of a rock, expands and enlarges the crack

Question 18

Geology

Answer 18

The physical structure and arrangement of a rock

Question 19

Groyne

Answer 19

A form of hard engineering that encourage the trapping of sediment to reduce erosion caused by longshore drift

Question 20

Hard management

Answer 20

The use of concrete structures to reduce or halt the recession of a coastline

Question 21

Highland

Answer 21

An area of land that is at a high elevation and tends to have a larger relief

Question 22

Hydraulic action

Answer 22

Pressure of compressed air forced into cracks in a rock face causes the rock to weaken and break apart

Question 23

Igneous rock

Answer 23

Formed from volcanic activity, often cooled magma on the Earth’s surface

Question 24

Impermeable

Answer 24

A rock that does not allow water to pass through it

Question 25

Levee

Answer 25

The banks of a river

Question 26

Longshore drift

Answer 26

The transportation of sediment along a beach, determined by the direction of the prevailing wind

Question 27

Lowlands

Answer 27

An area of land that has a small relief, so tends to be flat and at low elevation

Question 28

Mass movement

Answer 28

When there is a large downhill movement of material usually from a cliff face, where the rock is soft due to erosion and movement is caused by gravity

Question 29

Mechanical weathering

Answer 29

Breakdown of rocks due to forces, not chemical reactions

Question 30

Metamorphic rock

Answer 30

Rock formed under intense pressure and heat, often close to tectonic plate boundaries

Question 31

Permeable

Answer 31

A rock that allows water to pass through it

Question 32

Relief

Answer 32

The difference in the height of land for a particular region

Question 33

Rock armour

Answer 33

Large rocks used as barricades to reduce marine erosion at the base of cliffs

Question 34

Saltation

Answer 34

A form of transportation where smaller sediment bounces along the sea bed

Question 35

Salt marsh

Answer 35

In sheltered bays or behind spits, salts and minerals will build up. Vegetation may establish, further stabilising the marsh

Question 36

Sand dune

Answer 36

A depositional landform, where sand and sediment build up around driftwood and accumulate over time

Question 37

Sea wall

Answer 37

A hard management coastal defence, where a concrete wall is built parallel to the seafront to redirect the energy of waves away

Question 38

Sedimentary rock

Answer 38

Rock that has formed as sediment and rocks become cemented and compressed together over thousands of years

Question 39

Soft management

Answer 39

The use of natural materials and environmentally sustainable approaches to reduce coastal recession

Question 40

Solution

Answer 40

Acidic water dissolves chemicals from a rock face into the water

Question 41

Storm hydrograph

Answer 41

A graph to show the variation of river discharge over a short period of time

Question 42

Suspension

Answer 42

Small rocks that are light enough to float are carried in the water

Question 43

Spit

Answer 43

A long depositional landform, formed from sand and shingle

Question 44

Thalweg

Answer 44

The path of fastest water flow in a river

Question 45

Traction

Answer 45

Large rocks and boulders are rolled along the bed of the river or sea