Headlands and bays Flashcards
Understand the formation of headlands and bays
What are headlands and bays?
Headlands and bays are coastal landforms that are formed as a result of erosion caused by waves.
What coastlines are headlands and bays found at?
They are found at disconcerting coastline, which are made out of hard and soft rocks.
How do headlands form?
Headlands are formed through hard rocks getting eroded slowly overtime. They are usually projecting out into the sea.
How do bays form?
Bays are formed through soft rocks getting eroded quickly by the sea waves. It is an inlet of the sea where the land curves inwards, usually with a beach caused by constructive waves.
Features of headlands and bays.
A headland usually features cliffs along the side which project out into the sea while a bay usually features a wide, open entrance from the sea with a roughly, semi-circular shape extending into the coastline.
Example of headlands and bays.
The area around Swanage, where it is made out of bands of hard and soft rock. The soft rock is made of clay and sand, and the hard rock is chalk and limestone. As erosion processes take place, the clay erodes away more quickly than the limestone and chalk. This forms headlands and bays, creating Swanage Bay and two headlands - Ballard Point and Durlston Head.
