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Physical Geography: Coasts > EQ1 > Flashcards

EQ1 Flashcards

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1
Q

what are the 4 types of shore within the littoral zone

A

backshore
foreshore
nearshore
offshore

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2
Q

what areas within the littoral zone are we most concerned with due to erosion

A

the backshore and foreshore

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3
Q

why are we concerned with the backshore and foreshore

A

-Where the greatest human activity occurs
-Where the physical processes of erosion, deposition, transport and mass movement largely operated

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4
Q

is it true that the littoral zone changes due to processes within the sea and on the beach

A

TRUE
its constantly changing, due to the dynamic interaction between the processes operating in the seas, oceans and on land

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5
Q

what are the long and short term impacts to the littoral zone

A

Short term factors = individual waves, daily tides and seasonal storms

Long term factors = changes to sea level or climate change

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6
Q

what are the 2 types of coasts

A

rocky/cliffed coastlines
coastal plains

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7
Q

what are the characteristics of cliffed coastlines

A

-the transition of land to sea is abrupt
-at low tide the foreshore exposes a rocky wave cut platform
-the cliffs are vertical

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8
Q

what are the characteristics of sandy coastlines

A

-at high tide the sandy beach are submerged but the vegetated dunes are not
-vegetation plays a significant role in dune stabilisation

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9
Q

what are the characteristics of estuarine coastline

A

-extensive mudflats exposed at low tide and submerged at high tide
-backshore mudflats can become vegetated and form salt marshes
-transitions gradually from land to sea

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10
Q

what rocks are found at a resistant rock coastline

A

-Igneous rocks (basalt, granite)
-Older compacted sedimentary rocks (old red sandstone)
-Metamorphic rocks (slate and schists)
-These rocks are all resistant to the erosive powers of sea, wind, rain

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11
Q

what rocks do coastal plains consist of

A

-Eastern and southern coasts consists of areas of weaker and younger sedimentary rocks - clays, chalks, sand and sandstone
-an area of low, flat relief – referred to as a coastal plain

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12
Q

define coastal recession

A

coastal erosion

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13
Q

define lithology

A

the physical characteristics of particular rocks

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14
Q

define strata

A

different layers of rock

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15
Q

define bedding planes

A

these are natural breaks in the strata, caused by gaps in time during periods of rock formation
-horizontal cracks

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16
Q

define joints

A

these are fractures, caused either by contraction as sediments dry out, or by earth movements during uplift
-vertical cracks

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17
Q

define fold

A

formed by pressure during tectonic activity, which makes rocks buckle and crumble

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18
Q

define faults

A

formed when the stress or pressure to which a rock is subjected, exceeds its internal strength

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19
Q

define dips

A

this refers to the angle at which rock strata lie

(horizontally, vertically, dipping towards the sea or dipping inland)

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20
Q

what are the 3 types of rocks

A

sedimentary
metamorphic
igneous

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21
Q

examples of igneous rocks

A

granite
basalt

22
Q

explain the erosion rate of igneous rocks

A

VERY SLOW due to:
-being crystalline, interlocking crystals make the rock resistant
-very few joints, fewer weaknesses for erosional processes to exploit

23
Q

explain the erosion rate of metamorphic rocks

A

SLOW due to:
-crystalline metamorphic rock are resistant to erosion
-however the crystals often feature foliation where crystals face in one direction producing weaknesses
-often folded and heavily fractured – weaknesses exploited by erosion

24
Q

examples of metamorphic rocks

A

slate
schist
marble

25
Q

explain the erosion rate of sedimentary rocks

A

MODERATE to FAST due to:
-erode faster than metamorphic and crystalline igneous rocks
-the age is important, younger rocks tend to be weaker
-rocks tend to have many bedding planes and fractures making them vunerable to erosion

26
Q

examples of sedimentary rock

A

chalk
sandstone
limestone

27
Q

what are unconsolidated sediments

A

the weakest coastal material because they consist of loose materials and are not cemented together.

28
Q

example of unconsolidated sediments

A

boulder clay

29
Q

what are the 3 types of permeabilities within geology

A

impermeable
permeable
porous

30
Q

Which rock types are impermeable

A

IGNEOUS
METAMORPHIC

31
Q

which rock type is permeable

A

SEDIMENTARY specifically limestone and sandstone

32
Q

which rock type is porous

A

SEDIMENTARY specifically chalk

33
Q

what 2 factors influence cliff profiles

A

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

34
Q

what is the importance of vegetation on coastlines

A

Many coastlines are protected from erosion of unconsolidated sediment by the stabilising influence of vegetation

35
Q

examples of vegetation that protect coastlines

A

mangrove swamps
salt marshes

36
Q

how does vegetation stabilise sediment (important please know this yasmine)

A

-The roots of plants bind sediment particles together making them harder to erode (sand dunes + salt marshes)
-When submerged, plants growing in sediment provide a protective layer so the surface of the sediment isn’t directly exposed to moving water and therefore erosion reduces (salt marsh only)
-Plants protect sediment from wind erosion by reducing wind speed at the surface due to friction with the vegetation (sand dunes only)

37
Q

what conditions can halophytes tolerate

A

Halophytes can tolerate salt water, either around their roots, being submerged in salt water (at high tide) or salt spray from the sea

38
Q

what conditions can xerophytes tolerate

A

Xerophytes can tolerate very dry conditions, such as those found on coastal sand dunes where the sandy soil retains very little water due to drainage

39
Q

why have coastal vegetation become a key part of coastal management

A

sand dunes, mangroves and salt marshes reduce the risk of flooding and erosion

40
Q

what is plant succession

A

Succession refers to the changing structure of a plant community overtime
as an area of initially bare sediment is colonised by plants

41
Q

what is the importance of plant succession

A

The process is especially important on coasts because of its role in coastal accretion

42
Q

what is coastal accretion

A

a continuous net deposition of sediment

43
Q

what are pioneer species

A

deposition takes place certain

very specialised plants will begin to grow in the bare sand or mud.

They begin the first stage of plant succession

44
Q

what does each step in plant succession called

A

seral stage

45
Q

what is a psammosere

A

a sand dune ecosystem

46
Q

what is a halosere

A

a salt marsh ecosystem

47
Q

what is a concordant coastline

A

This is where bands of more resistant and less-resistant rock run parallel to the coast

48
Q

what is a discordant coastline

A

occurs where bands of differing rock type run perpendicular to the coast.

49
Q

what is a dalmation coastline

A

composed of long, narrow islands running parallel to the coastline and separated from the coast by narrow sea channels called sounds. They are produced by sea level rise flooding the coastline

50
Q

what is a haff coast

A

it consists of concordant features - long spits of sand and lagoons – aligned parallel to the coast

Physical Geography: Coasts (5 decks)

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