physical processes

Question 1

what is a constructive wave

Answer 1

a constructive wave is a low energy wave that has a stronger swash than backwash. it is depositional and known as a spilling wave

Question 2

what is a destructive wave

Answer 2

this is a higher energy wave with a stronger backwash than swash. it is often erosive of beach material and known as plunging.

Question 3

what is a wave

Answer 3

this is an array of peaks and troughs formed by the friction of wind blowing on the sea’s surface.

Question 4

what affects a waves size

Answer 4

How strong the wind is
How long the wind has been blowing
How big the fetch is

Question 5

what is a waves fetch

Answer 5

the distance the wave/wind has been travelling for

Question 6

what is weathering

Answer 6

this is when rock or coasts is eroded/worn away by factors of the weather and wildlife. It is wearing away rocks in situ.

Question 7

what is chemical weathering

Answer 7

the breaking down of rocks through chemical changes happening within. it is common on limestone and chalk. one example is salt water may cause dissolving as it is slightly acidic.

Question 8

what is mechanical weathering

Answer 8

the breaking up of rock without changing its chemical composition, purely eroding it through force.

Question 9

what is biological weathering

Answer 9

this is when plants or living animals weaken rock by releasing acidic chemicals or by burrowing into cracks in the rock or roots expanding rock cracks.

Question 10

what is mass movement

Answer 10

the downward fall of material under the force of gravity

Question 11

name the types of mass movement

Answer 11

Rockfall
Landslide
Mudslide
Slump/Rotational shift

Question 12

why does mass movement occur

Answer 12

it happens when rock or sediment of a cliff or coast is loosened by weathering, and it then becomes too saturated, heavy, or weak and gravity pulls it down to the ground

Question 13

how does each mass movement occur

Answer 13

rock fall - the rock becomes weakened and breaks off from cliff, it falls
landslide - large section os rock slide down a cliff face in a straight line
mud slide - similar to a landslide but saturated soil flows down a cliff or slope
slumping - it’s when sediment falls down a hill at a curved angle

Question 14

what is coastal erosion

Answer 14

erosion is the wearing away of the coast or rock by water and the sea

Question 15

name the four erosion processes

Answer 15

solution
attrition
hydraulic action
abrasion

Question 16

explain hydraulic action

Answer 16

this is when high power water forces into cracks in a rock, and traps air, eventually pressure forces it to crack the rock and this repeats over and over

Question 17

explain attrition

Answer 17

this is when rocks in the sea knock with each other as it moves. it brakes up rocks into smaller pieces and smooths the edges

Question 18

explain abrasion

Answer 18

this is when rocks in the sea are hurled at the cliff face by waves and the rocks grind and smash against the cliff

Question 19

explain longshore drift

Answer 19

this is the process where sediment is transported along a beach when waves come in on the direction of the prevailing wind but the backwash moves back vertically in line with the beach, due to gravity. material is slowly moved along the beach by the sea.

Question 20

explain why sediment is deposited in certain areas

Answer 20

sediment is deposited in areas where a wave reaches a low energy. this could be cue to a small fetch and weak wind, but it could also be due to a beach being a bay, or near an estuary, or due to coastal defences, which all combat wave force, by absorbing some energy.