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Geography GCSE > Yr10 Costal Landscapes > Flashcards

Yr10 Costal Landscapes Flashcards

1
Q

Define cross-section

A

An imaginary slice through a landscape which helps us visualise what we can’t see

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2
Q

Define geology

A

The science which deals with the physical structure and rock types of the earth, their history and the processes which act on them.

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3
Q

Define landscape

A

An area whose character is the result of the action and interaction with natural and human processes

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4
Q

Define relief

A

The height of the land and the different landscape features created by the changes in height

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5
Q

Define resistant rock

A

Tough rock such as granite or slate

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6
Q

Define river system

A

The complete river network from its source to its mouth

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7
Q

What is spot height?

A

An indication of land height, marked on OS maps by black dots with height above sea level written alongside

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8
Q

Define fetch

A

The distance the wind blows over the ocean, forming the wave
(Longer fetch means bigger waves)

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9
Q

What factors increase wave size?

A
  • long fetch
  • stronger winds
  • (presence of underwater canyon)
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10
Q

How does wind create waves?

A
  • wind blows across ocean
  • this creates frictional drag
  • forms waves
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11
Q

What is the top and bottom of waves called?

A

Top: crest
Bottom: trough

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12
Q

What is swash?

A

When the wave and material is moving up the beach

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13
Q

What is backswash?

A

When waves move back towards sea and bring material with it

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14
Q

Difference between swell and sea waves?

A

Swell is for.ed from far away storms and travel over long distance, whereas sea waves are only over a small area

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15
Q

What are constructive waves and what do they do?

A
  • waves with a stronger swash than backswash, so they build up the beach with material
  • this creates a wide, gently sloping beach
  • they impact ~ 6-8 times a minute, so long wave length
  • they spill forward at breaking wave
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16
Q

What are destructive waves and what do they do?

A
  • waves with a stronger backswash than swash, so they remove material from the beach
  • this creates a thin, steep beach
  • they impact ~ 10-14 times a minute, so short wave length
  • they plunge down at breaking wave
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17
Q

Look at your Yr10 book for wave diagrams 😛😛😛

A

Do it please

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18
Q

What is wave frequency?

A

Number of waves passing a given point in a given amount of time
Number of waves per second

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19
Q

What is wave period?

A

The time it takes for 2 successive crests to pass a given point

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20
Q

What is wave length?

A

The distance between two identical points on successive waves

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21
Q

Why do waves get higher as they reach shore?

A

They rise up and break as water is shallower there, so water must move up

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22
Q

Why might backswash be weaker than swash?

A

Some water seeps into sand or rocks

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23
Q

Why are larger stones found at top of beach?

A

Stronger swash needed to move them, only occurs during stormy periods

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24
Q

Define weathering

A

The breakdown of rock in situ at or near the surface

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25
Q

Define costal deposition

A

Material that is dropped at the coast, usually due to a loss in energy

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26
Q

What are the 3 main types of weathering?

A

Mechanical
Chemical
Biological

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27
Q

What is mechanical weathering?

A

The disintegration of rocks.
Where this happens, piles of scree are found at base of cliff
Eg. Salt and frost cracking

28
Q

What is chemical weathering?

A

Weathering causes by chemical changes, like rainwater and seawater are slightly acidic, slowly dissolving certain rocks and minerals
Eg. Sea spray reacting with calcium carbonate to form a water soluble solution

29
Q

What is biological weathering?

A

Weathering due to the actions of flora and fauna
Eg. Plant toots grow into cracks in rock, rabbits burrow unto weak rock causing chunks to break off

30
Q

Describe the process of freeze thaw weathering

A
  • water collects in cracks/holes in rock
  • at night, it freezes and expands, making crack bigger
  • temperature rises and water seeps deeper into rock
  • after repeated freezing and thawing, fragments may break off and fall to base as scree
31
Q

Describe the process of salt cracking

A
  • seawater collects in cracks/holes
  • when it evaporates, it leaves salt crystals that grow and expand
  • this puts pressure on rocks and eventually flakes may fall off
32
Q

Describe the process of carbonation

A
  • rainwater absorbs CO² from air and becomes slightly acidic
  • contact with alkaline rock such as chalk and limestone produces a chemical reaction causing the rocks to slowly dissolve
33
Q

Define mass movement

A

Downward movement or sliding under influence of gravity

34
Q

What are rockfalls?

A
  • relatively rare movements that occur on slopes exceeding 40°
  • rocks break off and fall down onto scree slope
35
Q

What are mudslides/mudflows?

A

Occurs on slopes over 10° where vegetation is sparse so cannot hold soil in place, and after a period of heavy rain
- saturated soils slip and slide down the slope, and at base of flow, they spread out to make a lobe

36
Q

What are landslides?

A
  • occur on cliffs former on harder rocks after a period of heavy rain
  • raising of underground water table reduces internal friction between layers and facilitates failure
  • slides largely retain internal structure and move as a large mass
37
Q

What are rotational slips?

A
  • cliffs formed on weak or impermeable rocks are susceptible to rotational slumping after heavy rainfall, as raising of water table reduces internal friction and facilitates failure
  • slumping: occurs where movement appears to have a rotational element to it, may produce a curved rupture surface
    Although slumped masses may have some internal cohesion, the highly saturated toe or frontal lobe of the slump way flow as it approaches foot of slope
38
Q

What is costal erosion?

A

The wearing away of land by moving agents such as a breaking wave from the sea

39
Q

What determines how much erosion takes place at the coastline?

A
  • geology
  • wave fetch
  • beach or no beach
  • rainfall/weather conditions
  • bedding planes
40
Q

What is hydraulic action?

A

Sheer power of wave hitting cliffs puts pressure on air in cracks, expanding them due to pressure on the rock

41
Q

What is abrasion?

A

Waves throw sediment at cliff, scouring down surface in a sandpaper effect.
Bottom more affected than top, so chance of undercut or wave cut notch forming

42
Q

What is attrition?

A

Boulders roll around on seabed, chipping away at each other until smooth pebbles or sand is formed

43
Q

What is solution?

A

Some rocks taken in solution as they become soluble when affected by slightly acidic seawater

44
Q

Look at yr8 flashcards for transportation methods 😛😛

A

Do it

45
Q

What is longshore drift?

A

If waves approach head on, sediment is simply moved up and down beach.

If they approach at an angle, swash carries sediment up beach at that angle, and backswash carries sediment back to sea at a right angle to the sea

This results in a zigzag movement and can lead to formation of spits and bars

46
Q

What is costal deposition?

A

Where waves lose energy in sheltered bays, flow of water slows down
Sediment can no longer be carried, so it is deposited

47
Q

Define landform

A

A feature that has been formed or sculpted by processes of
- erosion
- transportation
- deposition

48
Q

What kind of coastlines do hard rocks and soft rocks produce?

A

Hard rocks: cliffs
Soft rocks: low lying coastlines

49
Q

What is a discordant coastline?

A

Where geology alternates between strata(bands) of hard and soft rock, aligned AT AN ANGLE to the coastline

Creates headlands and bays where sea erodes soft rock faster

50
Q

What is a concordant coastline?

A

Alternating layers of soft and hard rock lain on top of each other, running parallel to coast

51
Q

How does a wave cut platform form?

A
  • sea attacks a weakness in the base of cliff between high and low tide level
  • wave cut notch (undercut) forms
  • notch grows, cliff becomes unstable and collapses under influence of gravity
  • material from collapsed cliff is eroded and mainly transported away, leaving just a wave cut platform
    (LOOK AT YR10 BOOK FOR DIAGRAM)
52
Q

What is the chain of flow from crack to cave to arch to stack to stump?

A
  • crack in cliff widened by hydraulic action
  • further widened into a cave
  • grows until it breaks through other side of headland, forming an arch
  • eventually due to several processes, arch collapses, forming stack
  • stack becomes unstable and collapses into a stump
53
Q

How do sand beaches form?

A

In sheltered bays with generally constructive waves

54
Q

How do pebble beaches form?

A

In exposed, high energy environments
High energy waves wash away fine sand and leaves pebbles, also creating a steeper beach

55
Q

How do spits form?

A
  • forms where the coastline suddenly changes
  • longshore drift continues out into sea, building up material on seabed until material builds up above sea.
  • continues and extends to form a long narrow spit protruding into sea
  • occasionally, waves change direction, forcing material to build up in a different way, causing a hook (recurved end)
  • a salt Marsh may form behind it
56
Q

How do bars form?

A

When a spit connects two bits of headland, sealing off a bay

57
Q

What is a tombolo?

A

A special type of bar where a spit connects the mainland to an island

58
Q

What is an offshore bar?

A
  • a bar that forms further out to sea, waves build up bar off coast and then it joins onto mainland at each end
59
Q

How do sand dunes form?

A
  • embryo dunes form around deposited obstacles such as rocks or driftwood
  • these develop and become stabilised by vegetation such as marram grass which is adapted to windy conditions and long roots to find water and bind sand, to form foredunes and yellow dunes.
  • rotting vegetation makes dunes fertile and more plants colonise these ‘back dunes’
  • wind can form depressions in sand called slacks in which ponds may form

ALSO LOOK AT YR10 BOOK 😛😛

60
Q

What is hard engineering?

A

Natural environment is protected by putting in artificial structures

61
Q

What is soft engineering?

A

Working with the natural environment to protect it
- less expensive and more sustainable

62
Q

Costal examples of hard engineering?

A
  • (recurved) sea wall
    ○ reduces incoming wave energy by deflecting waves back on themselves
  • Rock armour
    ○ large boulders placed on coastline to dissipate energy, reducing impact on coastline
  • Gabions
    ○ rock armour (often in mesh cubes) for stability, at bade of cliffs
  • Groynes
    ○ wooden or stone protrusions at a right angle to the beach, preventing large scale longshore drift
63
Q

Costal examples of soft engineering?

A
  • Beach reprofiling
    ○ changing shape of beach to influence wave impacts
  • Beach recharge
    ○ dredging up and adding more material to Beach to reduce impact energy
  • Sand dune regeneration
    ○ making artificial obstructions for sand to build up around
    ○ planting marram grass
64
Q

Look at your Yr10 book for pros and cons of costal management methods 😛😛

A

Please I’m begging you

65
Q

What is managed retreat?

A

A form of soft engineering where low lying and low value land is allowed to naturally flood so defences can be improved further inland
Can create natural defences such as salt marshes

66
Q

Hey so please please please look in your book for stuff on Lyme regis because I can’t turn it into flashcards

A

😛😛😛😛😛😛😛😛😛😛😛😛

Geography GCSE (7 decks)

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