Keywords Flashcards
Sedimentary
Rock that has formed through the deposition and solidification of sediment. Sedimentary rocks are often deposited in layers
Igneous
Rocks formed by the cooling and solidifying of molten materials. Igneous rocks can form beneath the Earth’s surface, or at its surface, as lava.
Metamorphic
Rock that was once one form of rock but has changed to another under the influence of heat, pressure, or some other agent without passing through a liquid phase.
Discordant Caostlines
A discordant coastline occurs where bands of different rock type run perpendicular to the coast.
Concordant Coastline
A concordant coastline occurs where beds, or layers, of differing rock types are folded into ridges that run parallel to the coast.
Erosion
The process of eroding or being eroded by wind, water, or other natural agents.
Hydraulic Action
Hydraulic action is erosion that occurs when the motion of water against a rock surface produces pressure in cracks.
Abrasion
Abrasion is the mechanical scraping of a rock surface by friction between rocks and moving particles during their transport.
Attrition
The regular impacts between the grains themselves and between the grains and the bed cause them to be broken up into smaller fragments.
Solution
Solution is where acids contained in sea water will dissolve some types of rock such as chalk or limestone.
Wave Cut Platform
Rock pools (or ‘tide pools’) are rocky pools by the sea. They are in the intertidal zone. They are filled with seawater during high tide, and exist as separate pools at low tide.
Hard Rock
Hard rocks are resistant to weathering & erosion so a coastline made of granite will change slowly.
Soft Rock
Soft rocks are more susceptible to weathering & erosion so a coastline made of chalk will change relatively quickly.
Wave Cut Notch
A wave-cut notch is formed when sea waves undercut the base of a cliff. As the force of the waves continually weaken the base, the overhanging rock or the area above the notch eventually caves in.
Stack
A stack or sea stack is a geological landform consisting of a steep and often vertical column or columns of rock in the sea near a coast, formed by wave erosion.
Stump
A stump is where erosion has further damaged a stack and caused parts to fall off.
Cove
A cove is a small type of bay or coastal inlet. Coves usually have narrow, restricted entrances, are often circular or oval, and are often situated within a larger bay. They are formed at concordant coastlines.
Fetch
The fetch, also called the fetch length, is the length of water over which a given wind has blown.
Prevailing Wind
a wind from the direction that is predominant or most usual at a particular place or season.
Constructive Waves
They are created in calm weather and are less powerful than destructive waves. They break on the shore and deposit material, building up beaches. They have a swash that is stronger than the backwash. They have a long wavelength, and are low in height.
Destructive Waves
Destructive waves are created in storm conditions. They are created from big, strong waves when the wind is powerful and has been blowing for a long time. They occur when wave energy is high and the wave has travelled over a long fetch. They tend to erode the coast. They have a stronger backwash than swash.
They have a short wave length and are high and steep.
Slumping
Clay cliffs are impermeable rock which soaks up water to become saturated. When this happens the clay becomes unstable and begins to slump.
Spit
A spit or sandspit is a deposition bar or beach landform found off coasts or lake shores. It develops in places where re-entrance occurs, such as at a cove’s headlands, by the process of longshore drift by longshore currents.
Hard Engineering
Building physical structures to deal with natural hazards, such as sea walls to stop waves.
Soft Engineeing
Involves adapting to natural hazards and working with nature to limit damage.
