What are the landforms of coastal erosion ? Flashcards
What are landscapes ?
The bigger picture
What are landforms ?
The individual components of a landscape.
What happens at the bottom of a cliff ?
- Hydraulic action
- Abrasion
- Solution
What happens at the top of the cliff ?
- Sub-aerial processes
- Salt crystallisation
- Carbonation
- Oxidation
What is an example of a stack ?
Old Harry, Dorset
How is a wave-cut platform made ?
- When waves break against the foot of a cliff > erosion occurs > concentrated close to the high tide line > a wave-cut notch is formed. Notch gets bigger, cliff is undercut and rock above becomes unstable and collapses. Erosional processes repeated leaving behind a gently sloping wave-cut platform, exposed at low tide.
Give an example of negative feedback ?
- Waves attack the cliff
- A wave-cut platform is created
- Therefore waves break further away from the cliffs
- Therefore cliff recession decreases
UNTIL - Sea level rises or storm conditions
What is an example of a wave cut platform ?
Watchet, West Somerset
(0.5 km wide)
Give an example of discordant coastlines ?
Swanage bay
Give an example of concordant coastlines ?
South Dorset Coastline
Lulworth Cove
What is a discordant coastline ?
At a right angle to the coastline
What is concordant coastline ?
Parallel to the coastline
What is lithology ?
The physical properties of rock such as its resistance to erosion > the rock type.
What is structure ?
Whether the rocks run parallel or perpendicular, joints and bedding planes.
What is geomorphology ?
The shape of the coastline. E.g. refraction.
