Coasts- Yorshire CS Flashcards
Where is the Yorkshire coastline located?
-The north east of England
-Runs along the North sea
What is the geology like in Yorkshire?
-Hard chalk has created Flamborough head
-Soft limestone and weak shales has allowed bays to form
-There is hard limestone
-The river esk adds a little bit of sediment to the coast
-Some sediment has also been added to the beach by cliff erosion but at a slower rate due to more resistant rock types
What are the waves like in Yorkshire?
-Direction of dominant waves are from the N/NE
-Length of fetch is 1500km
-Tidal range is 4m
-Wave height often exceeds 4m in the Summer
-Direction of LSD flows from N to S
What is the sediment movement like in Yorkshire?
-Overall movement is from north to south
-Limited supply of sediment because cliffs erode relatively slow and composition of cliffs and chalk and limestone tend to dissolve
-Sediment tends to accumulate in bays but can be eroded by storm action e.g. sand removed from Robins bay
-Bays act as sediment sinks as further movement from the south/ east is halted by headlands e.g. Flamborough head south of Filey Bay
What are the cliffs like in Yorkshire?
-Horizontally bedded cliff faces create vertical cliff faces
-Most cliffs have a layer of glacial till on top
-Flamborough head is made of hard chalk
-The vertical sections are 20-30m high
-The overlying tills fall due to mass movemnt
-Cliffs further North have a stepped profile due to varied geology
What are the shore platforms like in Yorkshire?
-Rocky shore platform at Robin Hoods bay
-Extends to a width of 500m and then further into off shore zone
What are the headlands and Bays like in Yorkshire?
-They have formed due to discordant coastlines
-Robins bay hood compromised of weak shales and band of sandstone either side forming headlands
-Filey bay is weak clay and surrounded by resistant limestone and chalk
What are the Cass, Geos and Blowholes like in Yorkshire?
-Wave energy is concentrated on resistant headlands that project into the North Sea
-Weaknesses such as large joints and faults are exploited by erosion, Hydraulic Action and Abrasion
-Caves and archs can be seen at Selwicks bay at Flamborough head
-Green stacks pinacle is a great example of a stack
-Over 50 geos align this coastal section facing N/NNE (the dominant wave direction)
-Blowholes have developed where a vertical joint in the chalk has enlarged and the overlying boulder clay has collapsed below
-This can be seen on the north side of Selwicks bay as several blowholes appear to have merged and the intervening chalk has collapsed to produce a complex inlet
What are the beaches like in Yorkshire?
-There are very few well developed beaches e.g. Scarborough and Filey bay which are both sheltered
-Deposits accumulate very slowly due to low inputs from the rivers and the slow rates of erosion of resistant rock
-High energy waves removes sediment before it can settle
-There is considerable LSD but no spits or associated depositional features due to the high tidal range and lack of estuaries which can provide suitable locations
