Geology and the coast Flashcards
What factors affect rates of coastal recession?
- Lithology
- Weathering
- Mass movement
- Wave energy
- Absence of a beach / Sea-level rise / Human activity
What is a cliff profile?
The shape of a cliff in cross section
Look at PowerPoint for different diagrams
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What is a concordant coast?
Strata may run parallel to the coast, some strata may resist erosion whilst others are weaker
What is an example of a concordant coast?
The Isle of Purbecks south coast in Dorset creating coves
Describe the formation of Lulworth Cove?
River erosion of resistant limestone cliffs followed by wave erosion of weak clay inland creating a small cove which is then enlarged until prevented by stronger chalk
What is differential erosion?
Erosion at different rates
What are Dalmatian coasts?
Another type of concordant coastline formed as a result of a rise in sea level where valleys and ridges run parallel to each other and the valleys flood leaving the tops of the ridges exposed as a series of offshore islands
What are Haff coasts?
They consist of concordant features such as long spits of sand and lagoons aligned parallel to the coast
What is an example of a Dalmatian coast?
The Dalmatian coast in Croatia
What is an example of a Haff coast?
The south shore of the Baltic sea such as the Curonian Spit that is really a barrier beach and the Curonian Lagoon
What is a coast with multiple barrier beaches and lagoons and is concordant?
A Haff coast
What is a discordant coast?
Where strata run perpendicular to the coast
What is an example of a discordant coast?
The Isle of Purbecks East coast creating headlands and bays
What type of erosion can cause headlands and bays?
Differential erosion of discordant bands of hard and soft rock
