Paper 1 - Coastal Landscapes In The UK Flashcards
Name two ways rock is broken down
Mechanical and chemical weathering
What’s mechanical weathering?
It’s the breakdown of rock without changing its chemical composition.
Explain and give an example of mechanical weathering
Freeze-thaw weathering -
- It happens when the temp alternates above and below 0
- Water gets into rock that has cracks e.g - granite
- When the water freezes it expands, which puts pressure on the rock.
- When water thaws it contracts, which releases the pressure on the rock.
- Repeated freezing and thawing widens the cracks and causes the rock to break up.
What’s chemical weathering?
It’s the breakdown of rock by changing its chemical composition.
Explain and give an example of chemical weathering?
Carbonating weathering.
- Rainwater has carbon dioxide dissolved in it, which makes it a weak carbonic acid.
- Carbonic acid reacts with rock that contains calcium carbonate, so the rocks are dissolved by the rainwater.
What is mass movement?
Its the shifting of rocks and loose material down a slope.
It happens when the force of gravity acting on a slope is greater than the force supporting it.
What does mass movement cause?
Coasts to retreat rapidly.
What are the three types of mass movement?
Slides
Slumps
Rockfalls
What is a slide?
Material shifts in a straight line.
What is a slump?
Material shifts with a rotation.
What is a rockfall?
Material breaks up and falls down slope.
What are the processes of erosion?
Hydraulic power
Abrasion
Attrition
Corrosion
What is hydraulic action?
Waves crash against rock and compress the air in the cracks. This puts pressure on the rock. Repeated compression widens the cracks and makes bits of rock break off.
What is abrasion?
Eroded particles in the water scrape and rub against rock, removing small pieces.
What is attrition?
Eroded particles in the water smash into each other and break into smaller fragments.
Their edges also get rounded off as they rub together.
What is corrosion?
This is the chemical action of sea water. The acids in the salt water slowly dissolve rocks on the coast.