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Coasts > Enquiry 1 Why Are Coastal Landscapes Different And What Processes Cause These Differences > Flashcards

Enquiry 1 Why Are Coastal Landscapes Different And What Processes Cause These Differences Flashcards

1
Q

Littoral zone

A

Wider coastal zone including adjacent land areas and shallow parts of the sea just offshore

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2
Q

Dynamic environment

A

Coasts are a boundary zone (marine and terrestrial interact)

Extreme events (storms/tsunamis)

Human development (residential / tourism)

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3
Q

Backshore

A

Above high tide level and only effected during exceptionally high tides

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4
Q

Foreshore

A

Waves usually confined here

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5
Q

Nearshore

A

Shallow water areas

Intense human activity

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6
Q

Offshore

A

Beyond influence of waves

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7
Q

Classified with longer term criteria

A

Geology (rocky sandy estuarine concordant discordant)

Seal level change

Tectonic processes lift land= local sea level rise

Climate change = rise and fall

Classify as submerging or emergent

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8
Q

Outbuilding coastline

A

Deposition > erosion

Net gain of sediment

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9
Q

Eroding coastline

A

Erosion> deposition

Net loss of sediment

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10
Q

Rocky coasts

A

High energy

Waves (long fetch/destructive)

Landforms (cliffs/wave cut platforms)

Atlantic

Processes (erosion/mass movement)

Clifford coastline (flamborough head)

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11
Q

Coastal plain landscapes

A

Low lying

Young sedimentary rock

Low energy

Waves (short fetch/ constructive)

Processes( lsd and deposition)

Landforms (beaches/ berms)

Mediterranean

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12
Q

Sandy coastline

A

Studland bay

High tide and sandy beach is inundated

Dune vegetation stabilises coast and prevents erosion

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13
Q

Estuarine coastline

A

Lymington Hampshire

Mud flats cut by channels

Closer backshore = vegetated salt marsh

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14
Q

geological structure

A

strata- different layers of rock exposed in a cliff

deformation- tilting and folding by tectonic activity

faulting- major fractures that have moved rocks from the original position

produces two types of coast (concordant and discordant)

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15
Q

Concordant

A

different rock strata run parallel to coast

vary in terms of resistance

Lulworth cove:
hard portland limestone and fairly resistant Purbeck beds protect softer rocks landward (gault bed)
marine erosion has broken through resistant beds
rapidly eroded a cove behind
resistant chalk at the back of cove prevents erosion further inland

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16
Q

Dalmatian coast, Adriatic sea (concordant)

A

geology is limestone
folded by tectonic activity into ANTICLINES (crests) and SYNCLINES (troughs)
lower synclines and upstanding anticline basins drowned by sea level rise
create long narrow islands in lines offshore

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17
Q

Haff coastlines (concordant)

A

the southern edge of the Baltic sea
long sediment ridges topped by sand dunes run parallel to the coast just offshore
creates lagoons between ridges and shoreline

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18
Q

Discordant

A

less resistant is eroded to form a bay
resistant geology remains as headlands

west cork Ireland
rock strata meet coast at 90 in parallel bands
especially resistant areas remain as detached islands, Clear Island

19
Q

wave refraction

A

process causing wave crests to become curved as they approach a coastline

20
Q

cliff profile

A

the height and angle of a cliff face, plus its features such as wave-cut notches or changes in slope angle

21
Q

cliff profiles influenced by

A

GEOLOGY, two characteristics;

resistance to erosion of the rock
dip of rock strata in relation to the coastline

22
Q

horizontal dip

A

near vertical/vertical profile with notches reflecting strata that are more easily eroded

23
Q

seaward dip high angle

A

sloping, low angle profile with one rock layer facing the sea, vulnerable to rock slides down the dip slope

24
Q

seaward dip low angle

A

profile may exceed 90 degrees producing areas of overhanging rock, very vulnerable to rock falls

25
Q

landward dip

A

steep profiles on 70-80 degrees and producing a very stable cliff with reduced rock fall

26
Q

geological features influence cliff profiles and rates of erosion

A

faults- either side of fault line, rocks are often heavily fractured and broken and these weaknesses are exploited by marine erosion

joints- occur in most rocks. often in regular patterns, dividing rock strata up into blocks with a regular shape

fissures- much smaller cracks in rocks, often only few cm or mm long

folded rocks- often heavily fissured and jointed, easily eroded

27
Q

micro-features

A

small-scale coastal features such as caves and wave-cut notches which form part of a cliff profile

28
Q

igneous rock

A 
granite(few joints so limited weaknesses)
basalt
very slow (less than 0.1cm per yr)
igneous= crystalline and the interlocking crystals make for strong, hard erosion resistant
29
Q

metamorphic rock

A

slate
marble
slow (0.1-0.3cm yr)
crystalline metamorphic are resistant to erosion
foliation(all crystals are orientated in one direction= weakness)
often folded and heavily fractures=weakness

30
Q

sedimentary rock

A 
sandstone
limestone
moderate to fast (0.5-10cm yr)
most are clastic and eroded fastest
geologically young=weaker
many bedding planes and fractures (shale) = most vulnerable
31
Q

unconsolidated

A

sediment that has not been cemented to form solid rock= LITHIFICATION

32
Q

erosion and weathering are influenced by

A
  • how reactive minerals in rock are when exposed to chemical weathering
  • whether rock is clastic or crystaline
  • degree to which rocks have cracks, fractures and fissures
33
Q

clastic

A

sediment particles cemented together

34
Q

crystalline

A

made up of interlocking mineral crystals

35
Q

cliff profiles also be influenced by the permeability of strata

A

permeable allow water to flow through them

impermeable do not allow groundwater flow and includes clays/mudstones

36
Q

pore water pressure

A

internal force within cliffs, exerted by the mass of groundwater within permeable rocks

37
Q

vegetation stabilises coastal sediment in number of ways

A
  • roots bind sediment particles together making them harder to erode
  • when submerged, plants provide protective layer so sediment surface is not directly exposed to moving water and erosion
  • plants protect sediment from erosion by wind, by reducing wind speed at surface by friction
38
Q

halophytes

A

salt tolerant

39
Q

xerophytes

A

drought tolerant

40
Q

plant succession

A

Changing structure of a plant community over time as an area of initially bare sediment is colonised

pioneer plants begin to grow on bare sand
forms first stage
each stage is called a seral stage
end result is called climatic climax community
(sand dune ecosystems(psammosere) and salt marsh(halosere))

41
Q

coastal

A
  1. colonisation of embryo dunes by pioneer species:
    stabilise the mobile sand by root systems
    reduce wind speed= more sand deposited
    add dead organic matter to sand, beginning process of soil formation
42
Q

embryo dunes

A

alter environment conditions from harsh, salty, mobile sand to one that plants can tolerate

43
Q

sand dune plant succession

A 
sea EMBRYO AND FORE DUNES
bare sand
couch grass 
marram grass  YELLOW DUNES
marram and sedge grass
creeping willow FIXED DUNES
pine and birch WOODLAND
44
Q

successional development on bare mud deposited in estuaries

A

exposed at low tide but submerged at high
ideal for development:
-sheltered from strong waves, silt and mud can be deposited
-rivers transport supply of sediment to river mouth and may be added to by sediment flowing into estuary at high tide

Coasts (3 decks)

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