Depositional Landforms Flashcards
1
Q
4 key things needed for sand dune formation
A
Supply of sand
Large tidal range (creates large supply of sand)
Dominant onshore wind
Obstacle
2
Q
Pioneer species meaning in sand dunes
A
The first plants to colonise the trapped sand that have special adaptations to help them survive hostile conditions (e.g marram grass)
3
Q
Climatic climax vegetation meaning
A
The dominant plant species at the final stage of succession e.g oak trees
4
Q
Key term for dominant plant species at the final stage of succession
A
Climatic climax vegetation
5
Q
Succession meaning
A
The series of changes in an ecological community that occur over time e.g change in vegetation % coverage and type
6
Q
Key term for series of changes in an ecological community that occur over time e.g change in vegetation % coverage and type
A
Succession
7
Q
A complete succession is called a…
A
Sere
8
Q
Sere meaning
A
Complete succession
9
Q
The sand dune with the highest exposure to the prevailing wind is the…
A
Embro dune
(As it’s closest to the sea)
10
Q
The oldest sand dune is the…dune
A
Mature
11
Q
The embryo, fore and yellow dune all have…coloured soil
A
Yellow
12
Q
The grey dune has…coloured soil
A
Grey
13
Q
The mature dune has…coloured soil
A
Brown
14
Q
Moving back into the dune system (e.g towards the mature dune) PH…. (increases/ decreases)
A
Decreases
15
Q
Is the embryo dune alkali or acidic
A
Alkali
16
Q
Is the mature dune alkali or acidic
A
Acidic
17
Q
The sand dune succession is called a ….
A
Psammosere
18
Q
Psammosere is a …succession (where does it occur)
A
Sand dune
19
Q
Stages of Psammosere succession (starting with bare sand and finishing with climax vegetation)
A
Bare sand
Embryo dunes form
Pioneer species invade, colonise and trap sand that’s moving by creep/ saltation
Salty, alkaline conditions with little organic matter
Plants die
Organic matter added to sand so water retention improves
Soil conditions improve
More plant species (other than pioneer species) can grow
Higher species biodiversity
Moisture loving plants develop in dune slacks
Trees/ scrubs can now be supported
Climax vegetation e.g oak trees
20
Q
Mudflats are…
A
Areas of sheltered coastlines which don’t experience powerful waves and are often located in estuaries/ the landward side of a spit
They are submerged at high tide and exposed at low tide
21
Q
Mudflats are areas of…coastlines which don’t experience powerful waves and are often located in estuaries or the landward side of a spit
A
Sheltered
22
Q
True or false, mudflats are always submerged in the water
A
False
They are submerged at high tide but exposed at low tide
23
Q
Mudflats are submerged at…and exposed at..
A
High tide
Low tide
24
Q
Salt marshes develop in what 3 types of environment
A
Sheltered areas where deposition occurs
Where saltwater and freshwater meet e.g estauries
Where there are no strong tides/ currents that would prevent sediment deposition or accumulation
25
Salt marshes can develop in environments where freshwater and saltwater meet e.g ...
Estuaries
26
True or false, salt marshes develop in environments where there are strong tides and currents
False
Strong tides and currents would prevent sediment deposition or accumulation so salt marshes develop where there aren't these things
27
An estuary is...
The tidal mouth of a large river where the flow is influenced by both the downstream flow of the river and the inward and outward movement of the tide
28
An estuary is the tidal mouth of a large river where the flow is influenced by both the... and the....
Downstream flow of the river
Inward and outward movement of the tide
29
Halosere is what type of succession
Salt marsh
30
Proper term for salt marsh succession is...
Halosere
31
Flocculation is where what type of particles come together and sink
Clay
32
...is where clay particles come together and sink
Flocculation
33
Flocculation is where clay particles come together and sink and occurs where ...meet
2 flows of water
34
Halophytes meaning
Salt tolerant plant species e.g cord grass and glasswort
35
Proper term for salt tolerant plant species e.g cord grass and glasswort
Halophytes
36
Cord grass and glasswort are both examples of...(salt tolerant plant species)
Halophytes
37
The first stage of salt marsh development is...forming due to flocculation
Mudflats
38
The first stage of salt marsh development is mudflats forming due to....(process where clay particles come together and sink where 2 flows of water meet)
Flocculation
39
The first stage of salt marsh development is mudflats forming due to....(process where clay particles come together and sink where 2 flows of water meet)
Flocculation
40
As part of salt marsh development after mudflats have formed...species start to colonise
Pioneer
41
A succession is the series of changes that take place in an ... overtime
Ecological community
42
Pebble sorting meaning
Larger pebbles are found at back of beach, smaller pebbles are found at bottom of beach closer to the sea
(Describes distribution of different sized sediment (pebbles in this example))
43
Why larger material (e.g large pebbles) is found at back of beach but smaller material (e.g smaller pebbles) are found at bottom of beach
Larger material is deposited at back of beach during storm
Normally it's too far for waves to reach so the material isn't brought back into the sea with the backwash of the waves so doesn't move therefore there's no chance for it to undergo attrition (the pebbles can only bump into each other and break into smaller pieces if they're moving)
Meanwhile smaller sediment is deposited lower down the beach so is constantly moving out (with backwash) and in with swash (is mobile) and during this movement the pebbles undergo attrition where they collide with each other and are worn down into even smaller fragments
44
Which out of sand or shingle beaches are steeper
Shingle
45
True or false, percolation occurs in larger pebbles e.g pebbles at the back/top of the beach
True
46
Ridges and runnels develop in the...zone of sand beaches
Foreshore
(Area between high and low tide water mark)
(They're most commonly found on sandy beaches but can still be found on shingle beaches)
47
True or false, ridges and runnels run parallel to the shoreline
True
48
A ... beach is formed by deposition from storm waves that crash above the high tide mark
Storm
(Hence it's formed by storm waves)
49
A storm beach is formed from deposition by...waves that crash above the...mark
Storm
High tide
50
Where are storm beaches (a feature of some beaches) found on the beach (e.g at the back/ middle/ front)
Back
(As they are formed by deposition from storm waves that crash above the high tide mark)
51
Where are storm beaches (a feature of some beaches) found on the beach (e.g at the back/ middle/ front)
Back
(As they are formed by deposition from storm waves that crash above the high tide mark)
52
What type of sediment are storm beaches composed of
Larger sediment e.g boulders
(Remember the further back on the beach, the bigger the sediment is and storm beaches are found above the high tide mark so very far back)
53
Berm meaning
Ridge in sand that marks the high tide mark and is formed by constructive waves
(There are often lots of berms (ridges of sand) as the high tide mark changes each day)
54
Key term for ridge of sand on beach that marks the high tide mark
Berm
55
Key term for water filled troughs found on beach
Runnel
(Think runny as it contains water and water is a liquid)
56
Key term for semi circular shaped depressions/ patterns on beach
Cusps
(They are formed where waves refract e.g in a bay so then the swashes of different waves effectively join together to create a stronger backwash that erodes sediment from the beach- where this sediment has been eroded leaves behind a lower bit of land that's semi -circle shapes)
57
2 key features of a cusp (semi circle depressions/ patterns found on beach)
Horn
Embayment (area of beach which has been eroded which is like a mini bay within the beach)
58
A horn and embayment are 2 key features of a ...
Cusp
(Semi circular depressions/ patterns on beach)
59
Beaches made from sand are described as gently...
Sloping
60
... aligned beaches are where the waves break at an angle to the beach
Drift
61
...aligned beaches are where the waves break parallel to the coast
Swash
62
Longshore drift occurs on...aligned beaches where the waves break at an angle to the beach
Drift
(Think longshore DRIFT occurs on DRIFT aligned beaches)
63
Name for area of beach between high tide mark and landward limit of marine activity e.g the cliff face
Backshore
64
Backshore refers to the area of beach between the high tide mark and landward limit of...activity
Marine
(Landward limit of marine activity is first point on land where processes/ activity of sea doesn't take place e.g no erosion can occur there, not even during a storm)
65
Backshore refers to the area of beach between the...mark and landward limit of marine activity
High tide
66
...refers to the area of beach between the low tide mark and where waves cease to have any influence on the land beneath them
Inshore
67
Inshore refers to the area of beach between the ...mark and point where waves cease to have any impact on the land beneath them
Low tide
68
Inshore refers to the area of beach between the ...mark and point where waves cease to have any impact on the land beneath them
Low tide
69
Inshore refers to the area of beach between the low tide mark and point where waves cease to have any impact on...
The land beneath them
70
Inshore refers to the area of beach between the low tide mark and point where waves cease to have any impact on...
The land beneath them
71
...refers to the area of beach between the high tide and low tide water mark
Foreshore
72
Foreshore refers to the area of beach between the ...water mark and...water mark
High tide
Low tide
73
Offshore is the area beyond the point where waves cease to have any influence on ...
The land beneath them
74
...is the area beyond the point where waves cease to have any influence on the land beneath them
Offshore
75
Offshore vs inshore
Inshore is area between low tide water mark and point where waves cease to have any influence in the land beneath them
Offshore is the next 'zone' from inshore so is the area beyond the point at which the waves cease to have any influence on the land beneath them
76
Breaker zone is the area where waves approaching the coastline begin to...
Break (hence the name)
77
...is the area where waves approaching the coastline begin to break
The breaker zone
(Hence the name)
78
Swash zone is the area of beach where a...layer of water washes up the beach after the wave has broken
Turbulent
79
...is the area where a turbulent layer of water washes up the beach after the wave has broken
Swash zone
80
For zones of the coastline there are 5 different 'shores' which are...
Backshore
Foreshore
Nearshore
Inshore
Offshore
81
For zones of the coastline, there are 3 different zones which are the...zone, the...zone and the...zone
Breaker
Swash
Surf
82
Spits are usually formed on....aligned coastlines where longshore drift occurs (due to the swash approaching the coastline at an angle)
Drift
83
A spit is a...
Elongated narrow ridge of land that sticks out from the coastline
(It has one end joined to the coastline and projects out into the sea/ across an estuary)
84
Distal end vs proximal end of spit
Proximal end= end of spit attached to mainland
Distal end = end of spit not attached to mainland
85
...spits can have recurved ridges along the landward side but ....can't
Compound
Simple (so simple spits are usually straight although they can still be recurved at the end (have a hook at the end) but it must be at the end and not at various points along the spit)
86
Lee meaning e.g Lee of spit/ Lee of headland
Side that is sheltered from the wind
87
Lee meaning e.g Lee of spit/ Lee of headland
Side that is sheltered from the wind
88
True or false, barrier beaches and bars are the same thing
True
89
Name of feature/ landform formed when a beach or spit extends across a bay to join 2 headlands
Bar/ barrier beach
90
...is a strip of detached land that runs parallel to the shore
Barrier island
91
...are submerged/ partly exposed ridges of sediment created by waves offshore from the coast
Offshore bars
92
Offshore bars and...are both very similar however ....are fully exposed whilst offshore bars are submerged/ only partly exposed (both are also parallel to the coast)
Barrier islands
93
A...is a strip of sand/ beach that connects a small island to the mainland
Tombolo
94
Key term for (as process of forming a tombolo) as waves approach the small island, they are slowed by the shallow water so bend around the island to the opposite side (where mainland is straight ahead and nearby) causing sediment to be deposited there
wave refraction
(Wave shadow is the specific area of water between the island and mainland where deposition occurs- wave shadow refers to a sheltered area where the waves are blocked by barriers e.g an island)
95
Out of bars, barrier islands, offshore bars and tombolos which can be formed when longshore drift continues
Bar (spit extends across a bay to join 2 headlands as longshore drift keeps on occurring)
Barrier island (originally longshore drift forms bar which is then breached by high energy waves that erode a permanent channel to turn it into an island as this makes it become detached from the mainland)
Tombolo (a spit continues forming by longshore drift away from the mainland until it reaches an island)
96
2 ways Tombolo can be formed
Continuation of spit by longshore drift from mainland to island
Wave refraction- as waves approach shallow water surrounding the island they slow down and bend around the island causing sediment to be deposited on the other side between the island and the mainland (this area where deposition occurs is known as wave shadow as it is a sheltered area where the waves are blocked by barriers e.g an island)
97
Name for sheltered area between mainland and island where the waves are blocked by barriers e.g an island
Wave shadow
(Deposition occurs here due to wave refraction around the island which can lead to the formation of a Tombolo)
98
A bar can be formed in 2 ways, either by longshore drift or ...where the bar originated as an offshore bar but the...lead to sediment being moved landward
Sea level rise
