Coasts

Question 1

What is a wave?

Answer 1

The movement of wind over water.

Question 2

What is the fletch?

Answer 2

The distance a wave travels.

Question 3

What does stronger wind mean in terms of the waves?

Answer 3

It means that the fletch will be larger and they will have more energy.

Question 4

Why do waves break?

Answer 4

Friction with the sea bed.

Question 5

What are key features of constructive waves? (4)

Answer 5

More deposition (stronger swash than backwash), they slope gently, they go on the beach and are common during summer.

Question 6

What are key features of destructive waves? (4)

Answer 6

More erosion (stronger backwash than swash), they are steep, they create rip currents and are common during winter.

Question 7

Would a coast with constructive waves or destructive waves recede?

Answer 7

A coast with destructive waves would recede because the waves are able to take sediment away because of their strong backwash.

Question 8

What is attrition?

Answer 8

When rocks break down other rocks making them smoother. (erosion)

Question 9

What is hydraulic action?

Answer 9

When air and water gets into the cracks of rocks expanding them. (erosion)

Question 10

What is abrasion?

Answer 10

When rocks are thrown against other rocks by the waves. (erosion)

Question 11

What is solution? (e)

Answer 11

Acidic sea waster dissolving rock. (erosion)

Question 12

What is suspension?

Answer 12

Fine, light material being carried by the sea. (transportation)

Question 13

What is solution? (t)

Answer 13

Minerals being dissolved in the water.

transportation

Question 14

What is saltation?

Answer 14

Small pebbles and stones being bounced along the sea bed. (transportation)

Question 15

What is traction?

Answer 15

Large boulders and rocks being rolled along the sea bed. (transportation)

Question 16

In what sort of weather conditions would the transportation process occur?

Answer 16

Suspension, solution and little saltation would occur in calm weather conditions. Suspension, solution, saltation and traction would occur in stormy weather conditions.

Question 17

What is mechanical weathering?

Answer 17

Rocks being broken up by ice, heat or cold (e.g. freeze-thaw weathering where a crack in a rock fills with water and the water freezes, expands and makes the crack larger.

Question 18

What is chemical weathering?

Answer 18

Rocks reacting with air and water.

Question 19

Name two sub-aerial processes. (happen on land)

Answer 19

Weathering and mass movement.

Question 20

What is weathering?

Answer 20

Breaking down of rocks.

Question 21

What is mass movement?

Answer 21

Downslope movement of rocks, soil or mud under the influence of gravity. Triggered by heavy rainfall.

Question 22

What are rock falls?

Answer 22

Occurs from steep rocky cliffs where cliffs are undercut by marine erosion at their base. They experience weathering at the top of the cliff which weakens the rocks along faults/lines of weakness.

Question 23

What is slumping?

Answer 23

A large area of land moving down a slope in a landslide. Leaves behind a curved surface. Common in clay cliffs where clay become saturated easily which weakens it and makes it slip off the slope.

Question 24

What is sliding?

Answer 24

Downhill movement of rock, soil and mud. Occurs on steep cliff faces which have become weakened by weathering. Heavy rain infiltrates the soil and causes a heavy mass to slip away along a line of weakness.

Question 25

What is transportation?

Answer 25

Movement of sediment through the ocean by wave energy.

Question 26

What is deposition?

Answer 26

Sediment being dropped off when waves run out of energy.

Question 27

What is longshore drift?

Answer 27

Sediment being moved up the beach in the direction of the prevailing wind by swash. This sediment is transported back down the beach by backwash.

Question 28

What are discordant coastlines?

Answer 28

Coastlines where rock layers are arranged perpendicular to the sea. (bays and headlands form here)

Question 29

What are concordant coastlines?

Answer 29

Coastlines where rock layers are parallel to the sea. (coves form here)

Question 30

How is a wave cut platform formed?

Answer 30

When waves erode the bottom of a cliff making a wave cut notch.

Question 31

How does the length of a wave cut platform depend on the amount of erosion?

Answer 31

Longer the platform becomes, longer the area of shallow water where friction will be experienced at the base of the wave meaning that the waves will break before the cliff base.

Question 32

How are caves, arches, stack and stumps formed? (7 steps)

Answer 32

1. Large crack opened up by hydraulic action. 2. Crack grows into a cave by hydraulic action and abrasion. 3. Cave becomes larger. 4. Cave breaks through the headland forming an arch. 5. Arch is eroded and collapsed. 6. This leaves a tall rock stack. 7. The stack is eroded forming a stump.

Question 33

How is a blowhole formed?

Answer 33

A fault line in the rock causes erosion to happen faster in a certain area. Water pushes through and forms a tunnel in the cliff which leads to the surface. Whenever there is a wave, it is pushed out the top and spurts out.

Question 34

Where does deposition occur? (four places)

Answer 34

Areas with constructive waves, large amount of sediment, large beach and groynes.

Question 35

What is a beach?

Answer 35

A landform of coastal deposition that lies between high and low tide levels. Most are formed of sand, shingles and pebbles, as well as mud and silt.

Question 36

What are features of pebbly beaches? (7)

Answer 36

1. Larger sediment. 2. Destructive waves. 3. High energy waves. 4. Stronger backwash than swash. 5. Graded deposition. 6. Narrower. 7. Off shore bars.

Question 37

What are features of sandy beaches? (7)

Answer 37

1. Smaller sediment. 2. Constructive waves. 3. Low energy waves. 4. Stronger swash than backwash. 5. No graded deposition. 6. Wider. 7. Sand dunes.

Question 38

What are features of summer beaches? (2)

Answer 38

1. More constructive waves. | 2. More deposition.

Question 39

What are features of winter beaches? (2)

Answer 39

1. More destructive waves. | 2. More erosion.

Question 40

What is a sand dune and how does it form?

Answer 40

Accumulation of sand grains typically formed by objects such as dead birds, vegetation and wood.

Question 41

How does sand move and when is it deposited?

Answer 41

Through suspension in the air, saltation and surface creep when there is a drop in wind velocity.

Question 42

What are the criteria for a sand dune to form? (5)

Answer 42

Lots of loose sediment, large area for sand to accumulate, wide beach, high wind conditions and space at the back of the beach.

Question 43

Explain why there is more vegetation further inland in a coastal sand dune environment.

Answer 43

There is more freshwater inland compared to by the coast because that water is salty. This means that more plants are able to grow and they can become taller and more diversified. This will create lots of organic matter which will help new plants to grow. For this reason, there is more vegetation further inland.

Question 44

How is a bar formed?

Answer 44

LSD transports sediment along the coastline until it reaches a change in coastline direction, such as a bay. Material is deposited eventually enclosing the bay to form a bar.

Question 45

What is a spit?

Answer 45

A spit is a ridge of deposited material that extends out to sea beyond a headland.

Question 46

What are some advantages of hard engineering?

Answer 46

More effective.

Question 47

What are some advantages of soft engineering?

Answer 47

Blends in with the natural environment, doesn’t damage habitats and relatively cheap.