Keywords - Coasts

Question 1

abrasion

Answer 1

waves throwing pebbles at cliffs

Question 2

attrition

Answer 2

pebbles hitting each other in the waves

Question 3

backwash

Answer 3

the water that rolls back down a beach after a wave has broken

Question 4

beach

Answer 4

an area of sand or pebbles along a coast

Question 5

coastline

Answer 5

is where the land meets the sea

Question 6

corrosion

Answer 6

dissolving of rock by acid in water

Question 7

current

Answer 7

the flow of water in a certain direction

Question 8

deposition landforms

Answer 8

landscape features made up of material that has been laid down

Question 9

erosion landforms

Answer 9

landscape features resulting from the wearing away of rock

Question 10

fetch

Answer 10

the distance in the direction of the prevailing wind that air or water can travel continuously without obstruction

Question 11

groyne

Answer 11

a wall built into the sea from the seashore to create a beach by trapping sand carried by longshore drift

Question 12

hydraulic action

Answer 12

water trapping air in cracks and caves and the force of the water itself against the cliffs

Question 13

longshore drift

Answer 13

the process whereby beach material is gradually shifted along a beach by waves meeting the shore at an oblique angle

Question 14

salt marsh

Answer 14

low coastal grassland that is frequently overflowed by the tide

Question 15

spit

Answer 15

a long, narrow accumulation of sand and shingle that grows out from the coastline

Question 16

swash

Answer 16

the waves washing up the beach

Question 17

waves

Answer 17

formed when wind blows over the sea

Question 18

the coastal zone

Answer 18

a narrow stretch between the land and the sea

Question 19

erosion

Answer 19

waves can erode the coastline in a similar way to water in rivers. this usually occurs when the sea takes lots of energy from the power of destructive waves

Question 20

transportation

Answer 20

the movement of eroded material up and down, and along the coast

Question 21

deposition

Answer 21

when the sea loses energy, it drops the sand, rock particles and pebbles that it has been carrying, depositing them

Question 22

abrasion

Answer 22

waves transport material which hits the cliff and gradually wears it away

Question 23

hydraulic action

Answer 23

as waves approach the coast they trap air and force it into gaps in the cliff. eventually this weakens the rock

Question 24

attrition

Answer 24

waves cause the rocks to crash against each other, breaking them down into smaller and rounder pieces.

Question 25

corrosion (also known as solution)

Answer 25

salts and acids in seawater dissolve the rock gradually over thousands of years / the transport of soluble load in water

Question 26

wave pounding

Answer 26

this is the 'sledge hammer' effect of tons of water crashing against cliffs. it shakes and weakens the rocks, leaving them open to attack from hydraulic action and abrasion. eroded material gets carried away by the wave

Question 27

wave scouring

Answer 27

sea-floor erosion caused by strong tidal currents resulting in the removal of inshore sediments and formation of deep holes and channels

Question 28

weathering

Answer 28

the physical or chemical breakdown or change of objects due to weather conditions. it occurs mainly through the action of wind, water, and temperature on rocks and soil. it does not involve the transport of objects to a new location. weathering often results in rounding sharp edges of rock formations.

Question 29

solution

Answer 29

the transport of a soluble load in water

Question 30

suspension

Answer 30

the transport of silt in water

Question 31

saltation

Answer 31

the transport of sand in a hopping fashion in water or air

Question 32

traction

Answer 32

the transport of boulders in a rolling motion in water

Question 33

beaches

Answer 33

narrow, gently sloping strips of land that lie along the edge of an ocean, lake, or river. materials such as sand, pebbles, rocks, and seashell fragments cover beaches.

Question 34

spits

Answer 34

features that are formed by the process of longshore drift. it is an extended stretch of beach material that only joins the mainlaind at one end. they start to form where there is a change in the direction of the coastline.

Question 35

bars

Answer 35

a continuation of a spit to join on to the coast across a bay

Question 36

tombolo

Answer 36

where a spit happens to extend and join to an island, linking it to the mainland by a narrow beach of deposited material

Question 37

where are salt marshes formed

Answer 37

salt marshes may be formed behind a spit. the zone behind a spit becomes a sheltered area. water movement slows down and so more material is deposited.

Question 38

offshore bar

Answer 38

characteristic of shores with a large influx of sediment, often from major rivers and currents which deposit and build accumulations of material into long, low mounds of sediment parallel to the coast. offshore bars are largely submarine features.

Question 39

wave-cut platform

Answer 39

a wide gently-sloping surface found at the foot of a cliff