Landforms of erosion Flashcards
Name 6 landforms of erosion which link into eachother
Cave, arch, stack, stump, blowhole, geo
How is a cave formed
When weak areas in rock become eroded
How do arches form
Arches form when a caves extend backwards, meeting each other and creating a hole in the cliff
How do stacks and stumps form
Stacks form when the top of an arch collapses and stumps form when stacks become eroded
How does a blowhole form
When part of a cave roof collapses to form a vertical shaft
How does a geo form
When the entire roof of a cave collapses to form a canyon like feature
What are 2 other distinct features of erosion
Headlands and bays
What is a headland
A section of land jutting out to sea made of hard rock
What is a bay
An area of sea where the land curves inwards made of soft rock
How are headlands and bays formed
Wave refraction
What is wave refraction
Wave refraction is when waves hit an irregular coastline and then become parallel to the coastline. It happens between headlands and bays
How does wave refraction happen
As waves crests near a headland they drag along the more shallow seabed. The part of the wave crest near the bay carries on due to being in deeper water.
As one part of the wave moves on, the part in shallow water becomes retarded by frictional drag and therefore bends. Energy and erosion is then accentuated at the headland, with low energy waves in bays wave
What are the other 3 landforms of erosion
Coves
Wave cut platforms
Cliffs
How are coves formed
A cove is a small circular bay with a narrow entrance. They form on concordant coastlines when more resistant rock is eroded away, exposing the softer rock underneath
How are wave cut platforms formed
When waves break their energy is focused on one small area, eroding it away. The area becomes undercut and a wave cut notch forms
Continued activity causes the cliff above the wave cut notch to collapse. Over time the cliff repeats leaving a gentle sloping wave cut platform
