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Geography > Coasts > Flashcards

Coasts Flashcards

(60 cards)

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1
Q

Weathering

A

Breakdown of rocks in situ (rock isn’t taken away or moved) by biological and chemical processes

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2
Q

Erosion

A

Wearing away and removal of land by the sea and rivers

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3
Q

Mass Movement

A

Downhill Movement of weathered rock caused by gravity

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4
Q

Chemical Weathering

A

Weathering caused by reactions eg. seawater with chalk or limestone, acid rain

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5
Q

Physical Weathering

A

Weathering of rock be processes like freeze thaw or onion skin

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6
Q

Biological weathering

A

weathering by plants or animals burrowing into the ground

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7
Q

Attrition

A

the waves cause rocks and pebbles to bump into each other and break into smaller pieces

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8
Q

Hydraulic Action

A

the power of moving water

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9
Q

Solution (erosion)

A

the dissolving of rocks such as limestone and chalk

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10
Q

Abrasion

A

fragments of rock are picked up by the waves and hurled at the cliff. The rocks scrape and gouge the rock on the cliff face

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11
Q

Constructive Waves

A

build up beaches, calm weather

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12
Q

Destructive Waves

A

erode the coast, stormy conditions, high energy

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13
Q

Constructive wave height

A

Low

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14
Q

Constructive wave length

A

long

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15
Q

Constructive wave type of break

A

spilling

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16
Q

Constructive wave swash strength

A

strong

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17
Q

Constructive wave backwash strength

A

weak

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18
Q

Constructive wave net beach sediment

A

gain

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19
Q

Destructive wave height

A

high

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20
Q

Destructive wave length

A

short

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21
Q

Destructive wave type of break

A

plunging

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22
Q

Destructive wave swash

A

weak

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23
Q

Destructive wave backwash

A

strong

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24
Q

Destructive wave net beach sediment

A

loss

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25
Cliff Top + Face affected by ___________
Weathering - acid rain, freeze thaw
26
Cliff Foot affected by ___________
Erosion - waves (destructive)
27
Factors affecting the speed of coastal erosion
prevailing wind direction winter storms destructive waves rock type
28
Swash
water running up the beach and bringing sediment
29
Backwash
water moving back down the beach and taking sediment
30
Wavelength
the distance between the top of one wave and the next
31
Fetch
distance the wave travels longer the fetch, bigger the wave
32
what happens as a wave approaches the beach before it breaks
slows as it approaches as a result of friction between the water and the seabed
33
what motion do the molecules go to and from in a wave
from a circular motion to more elliptical
34
Crest
peak of the wave
35
Trough
bottom of the wave
36
the stronger the wind the _______ the wave
larger
37
How does Hydraulic Action contribute to coastal erosion?
Waves force air into cracks in rocks, increasing pressure, which causes cracks to widen and eventually break apart
38
What is Longshore Drift?
The process where waves move sediment along the coastline at an angle due to the prevailing wind direction
39
How does deposition occur?
Deposition happens when waves lose energy and drop sediment or the coastline changes direction, forming beaches, spits, and sand dunes
40
What erosional landforms are created by coastal erosion?
Wave-cut notches and platforms, caves, arches, stacks, and stumps
41
How are caves, arches, stacks, and stumps formed?
Cracks in a cliff widen due to erosion, forming caves. Continued erosion deepens the cave into an arch, which eventually collapses to form a stack. The stack then erodes further to become a stump
42
What depositional landforms are created by coastal deposition?
Beaches, spits, bars, and sand dunes
43
What is a spit and how does it form?
A spit is a narrow strip of land formed by longshore drift depositing sediment when waves lose energy, usually in a sheltered area
44
What is the difference between hard engineering and soft engineering in coastal management?
Hard engineering involves artificial structures to reduce erosion (e.g. , sea walls, groynes), while soft engineering uses natural methods (e.g., dune stabilization, beach nourishment)
45
What is managed retreat in coastal management?
A strategy that allows erosion to continue naturally while planning adaptations for affected areas instead of actively preventing it
46
How does beach nourishment work?
Sand is added to beaches to replace material lost through erosion, maintaining the beach for tourism and coastal protection
47
Rockfall
Unsaturated (dry) rock Fragments of rock (scree) break away due to freeze thaw
48
Landslide
Unsaturated (dry) rock Blocks of rock slide downwards Slanted rock face - slide plane
49
Rotational slip
Saturated (wet) rock Slump of saturated soil and weak rock along a curved surface - slip from head (top) to foot and toe (bottom) of a hill Curved slip plane
50
Mudflow
Saturated (wet) rock Weak rock and saturated soil flow down a slope - lobe
51
Slumping
Dry rock Rockfall Landslide
52
Sliding
Saturated soil Weak rock causes land to slide Mudslides + rotational slip
53
Traction
Large pebbles/rocks rolled along the sea/riverbed
54
Saltation
A ‘hopping’ or ‘bouncing’ motion of particles too heavy to be suspended
55
Suspension
Particles carried (suspended) in the water
56
Solution (transportation)
Dissolved chemicals often derived from limestone or chalk
57
Concordant coastline
Only 1 type of rock
58
Discordant coastline
More that one type of rock (many types) - leads to headlands and bays
59
How are headlands and bays formed
Alternating bands of hard and soft rock Weaker (soft) rock erodes more easily Leaves behind harder rock which erodes less and stick out as a headland with a bay in between two of them
60
Wave cut platforms
Waves erode the foot of the cliff - wave cut notch Notch deepens Cliff unable to support its own weight Collapses and rubble is spread out into a platform

Geography (11 decks)

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