Physical landscapes in the UK Flashcards
What type of coastline has suitable conditions for the formation of erosional landforms
Steep cliffs as it indicates hard resistant rock
Explain the formation of a wave-cut platform
- It is made by processes of erosion and weathering
- Soft rock erodes quickly making sloping cliffs and hard rock form steep cliffs
- Hydraulic action and abrasion weaken the base of a cliff creating a wave cut notch
- Weathering weakens the top of the cliff
- The top of the cliff eventually becomes unstable and collapses
- The cliff has retreated
- A wave cut platform is a gentle sloping surface of a cliff extending out to sea
What is the case study for coastal management schemes
MAPPLETON
- two hard engineering process
- rock armour and gabions
- was effective at protecting Mappleton
- but south to Mappleton erosion has increased as they do not have any coastal defences
How is a coastline of headlands and bays formed?
- Due to coastal erosion, hydraulic action and abrasion
- Headland is hard rock so is resistant and erodes slowly
- Bays are made of soft rock so easily erodes
What are the hard engineering defences for coasts
- Sea walls
- Rock armour
- Gabions
- Groynes
Rock armour
- Cheaper than a sea wall and easier to maintain
- Can be used for fishing
- Different from local geology
- Can be expensive to import rocks
Groynes
- Can cause chronic groyne syndrome further along the beach
- Builds a wider beach, more tourists
- Look unattractive
Gabions
- Cheap
- Absorbs wave energy
- Not very strong
-Looks unnatural
Sea walls
- Deflect and absorb wave energy back to the sea
- Create a promenade for people to walk along
- Expensive and require regular repairs
Soft engineering defences for coasts?
- Beach nourishment
- Dune regeneration
- Reprofiling
Beach nourishment
- Blends into existing beach
- Larger beach = more tourist
- Needs to be constantly replaced
- Sand has to be brought in from somewhere else
Dune regeneration / nourishment
- Relatively cheap
- Maintains a natural looking coastline
- Can be damaged by storm waves
- Fenced off areas is not popular for public
Reprofiling
- Cheap and simple
- Reduces energy of waves
- Only works when wave energy is low
- Needs to be repeated constantly
Managed retreat
- Cheap option
- Creates a salt marsh, good for habitat and natural defence against erosion
- Land is lost to the sea
- Land owners must be compensated
What is freeze - thaw weathering?
Water enters a crack in the rock
Water freezes and expands widening the crack
Ice melts and water goes further into the crack
Process repeats until the rock splits
What are the types of mass movement?
- Landslide
- Rockfall
- Mudflow
- Rotational slip
What is traction?
pebbles and larger materials are rolled across the sea floor