Physical - Coasts Flashcards
Abrasion (corrosion)
Waves carry sediment, pebbles, which is thrown at the cliffs and wears them down.
Attrition
Rocks are worn down into smaller particles by being knocked against each other by the waves and rounded in the process.
Arches
Where the sea breaks through the back wall of two caves, which developed back to back in a headland.
Barriers/dams/barrages
Built across river estuaries to control flow of water.
Bars
Form when a spit has stretched right across a bay often leaving a lagoon behind it. Can also refer to an offshore deposition.
Beach replenishment
A type of soft engineering. Artificially adding more beach materials to keep a beach in place.
Berms
Ridges of material on a beach coursed by the action of the tide at its highest point.
Blow holes
Formed when a crack at the back of a cave is opened up to the surface by wave action.
Caves
Developed on the coast where there is a joint/crack in the rock which is eroded by the action of waves to form a large opening in the cliff.
Constructive waves
Waves that build up beaches.
Destructive waves
Waves that erode beaches and cliffs.
Eustatic
Global rise or fall in sea level. When the sea level rises or falls in relation to land.
Fetch
Distance over which the wind has blown to produce waves.
Freeze thaw
Joints in rocks collect water which freezes and expands widening the joint. Then thaws collects more water and freezes again expanding and weakening it until the rock cracks.
Gabions
Wire cages filled with rocks to protect the coastline from erosion.
Groynes.
Fences or low walls to protect the coast from long shore drift.
Hard engineering
Man made structures used to control coastal processes.
Headlands and Bays
When hard and soft rock alternate along a coastline (discordant), the softer rock will be eroded to form bays whilest the harder rock remains resistant to erosion and protrudes as a headland.
Hydraulic action
Where the force of water in waves loosens material.
Isostatic
Refers to local change in sea level. When the land rises or falls in relation to the sea.
Discordant coastline
Bands of different rock types that run perpendicular to the coast. This leads to the formation of headlands and bays.
Concordant coastline
Layers of differing rock types run parallel to the coast. The outer harder rock provides a protective barrier to erosion of the softer rocks further inland.
Long shore drift
Process why which material is moved along a beach in a zigzag pattern
.
Managed retreat
Allowing some areas of coastline to be breached by sea in order to protect other areas.
Near tides
Lowest tidal range by any lunar month.
Raised beaches
Produced when land has risen above sea level , leaving an old beach stranded higher up on the cliffs.
Sloping concrete wall or wood structure to break up waves.
Revetment
RIP-Rap (rock amour)
Building of various shaped boulders which lock together to break up waves and protect the coastline.