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Geography - Physical > Coasts EQ1 > Flashcards

Coasts EQ1 Flashcards

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1
Q

Why is a coastal landscape dynamic

A

There are marine and sub-aerial processes
Coasts experience extreme events (tropical storms)
Human development is varied

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2
Q

What is a littoral zone

A

Contains coastal sediments. Waves and tides move these sediments along the coast called the littoral zone

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3
Q

How many littoral zones are there in England Scotland and Wales

A

11

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4
Q

Describe the 5 areas in a littoral zone

A

Coast, backshore, foreshore, nearshore, offshore

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5
Q

What type of system is a littoral zone

A

Closed system

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6
Q

How is a littoral zone determined

A

Typography and processes ( land shape )

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7
Q

What is a wave caused by

A

Wind blowing over the surface of the sra

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8
Q

What is a tide caused by

A

The gravitational pull (force exerted) by the earth, moon and sun

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9
Q

What is dynamic equilibrium

A

When inputs and outputs are balanced (littoral zones)

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10
Q

What inputs occur in a littoral zone

A

Marine - waves, tides, storm surges
Atmospheric - weather, climate, climate change
Land - rock type, structure
Sub-aerial -

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11
Q

What process occur in a littoral zone

A

Weathering
Mass movement
Erosion
Transportation
Deposition

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12
Q

What outputs occurs in a littoral zone

A

Erosional landforms
Depositional landforms
Different types of coasts

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13
Q

What factors can we classify coastlines by

A

Geology - rocky, sandy, concordant, discordant
Level of energy - balance between erosion and deposition
Changes in sea level - submergent, emergent

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14
Q

Describe the characteristics of a rocky coastline

A

High energy
Rocky landscape
highland coasts
Destructive waves
Exposed to large waves
Main processes: erosion and transportation
Long fetch
Atlantic coasts of Scotland and south west England

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15
Q

What landforms are found at a rocky coastline

A

Cliffs, wave cut platforms, arches, stacks, caves

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16
Q

Describe the characteristics of a sandy coastline

A

Low energy
Sheltered from large waves
Lowland coasts
Constructive waves
Short fetch
Main processes: deposition, transportation
East Anglian coasts

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17
Q

What landforms are found at sandy coastlines

A

Beaches, spits, bars, salt marshes, sand dunes, mudflats

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18
Q

What factors affect the erosional resistance of coastlines

A

Coastal defences (human management)
Type of rock ( geology)
Wave type ( level of energy)
How reactive minerals in the rock are
Cracks, fractures and weaknesses
If the rock is clastic

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19
Q

What does eustatic mean

A

The sea level changing relative to a point on the land. This is always global

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20
Q

What does isostatic mean

A

The land moving relative to sea level. This is always local

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21
Q

Examples of isostatic change

A

Isostatic rebound
Accumulation of sediment caused river mouth to sink
Compression of earths crust
Tectonic movement

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22
Q

Examples of eustatic change

A

Climate change
Ice ages
Thermal expansion

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23
Q

Example of a emerging coastline

A

Scotland highlands and still bouncing back after the last ice age. Creating an emerging coastline due to isostatic change

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24
Q

What is an example of a submergent coastline

A

South coast of the UK is sinking as Scotland is being raised up creating a submergent coastline. Isostatic change

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25
What is a discordant coastline
Different rock strata intersect the coast at an angle ( perpendicular ) so geology varies along the coastline
26
What is a concordant coastline
When rock strata runs parallel to the coastline
27
Image of a discordant coastline
28
Image of a concordant coastline
29
What is strata
Different layers of rock within an area
30
What is deformation
The degree to which rock has been deformed (tilted or folded by tectonic activity)
31
What is faulting
Major fractures that move the rock from there original positions
32
Name a uk example of a concordant coastline
Lulworth cove
33
Name a uk example of a discordant coastline
West Cork coastline
34
What landforms are found at a discordant coastline
Headlands, bays, caves, arches, stacks, stumps, waves cut platform
35
what feature is a discordant coastline dominated by
headlands and bays
36
what landforms are found at a concordant coastline
coves, dalmatian coastlines, haff coastlines
37
what are 3 marine processes
erosion transportation deposition
38
what are 2 sub aerial processes
weathering mass movement
39
why are headlands eroded more than bays
wave refraction
40
what is wave refraction
the concentration of wave energy at headlands as the waves approach shallower water
41
describe the process of wave refraction
-as the depth of water becomes shallower in the bay part of the wave slows done and part remains at its original speed -this causes the wave to bend and change direction towards the shallower water (headland) -this focuses wave energy on headlands
42
what is the result of wave refraction
headlands are eroded more than bays this reduced the difference between headlands and bays and smooths out the coastline
43
wave refraction diagram
44
dalmatian coastline diagram
45
what is an example of a place with a dalmatian coastline
Croatia
46
what is a dalmatian coastline
the geology of the coastline has been folded by tectonic activity into a series of anticlines and synclines that run parallel to the current coastline the synclines were eroded by past river put have now been flooded by rising sea levels creating a coastline of long narrow islands offshore
47
Haff coastline diagram
48
what is an example of a place with a concordant coastline
southern fringes of Baltic sea
49
what are haff coastlines
long sediment ridges that run parallel o the coast offshore creating haffs between the ridges and the shore
50
how are haff coastlines formed
at the end of the last ice glaciers melted and meltwater travelled to enter the sea. these are low energy coastlines because of the constructive waves so the glacier deposited all of the sediment it was carrying. this left a haff coastline
51
how are coasts affected by tectonic processes
faulting isostatic land subsidence (Japan) folding of rock coastlines dominated by igneous rock landforms where there have been weaknesses from tectonics (caves)
52
what is cliff profile
the height, angel and features of a cliff
53
what are cliff profiles influenced by
different aspects of geology: -the resistance to erosion of rock -the dip of rock strata in relation to the coastline
54
what is dip
the angle of the rock strata in relation to the horizontal dip is a tectonic feature
55
what causes dip
sedimentary rocks are formed in horizontal layers but these can be tilted by tectonic forces
56
what what are the 4 types of angel of dip
horizontal high angle seaward dip low angle seaward dip landward dip
57
horizontal angle diagram
58
landward dip diagram
59
high angle seaward dip diagram
60
low angle seaward dip diagram
61
what factors affect the rate of erosion
-rock type -type of coastline -wave energy -cliff profile emergent / submergent -tectonic dip human management -porosity, permeability
62
how are igneous rocks formed
formed form molten rock (lava) that has cooled and solidified
63
how is sedimentary rock formed
broken down rock builds up in sediments. as more layers accumulate the sediments weigh each other down in a process called compaction. water is squeezed out and crystals and salt form. this sticks the rock together (cementation) to form sedimentary rock
64
how is metamorphic rock formed
formed from other rock that changed because of heat and pressure movement of the earths crust cause the rock to be buried deeply then heated an put under pressure. this changed the chemicals in the minerals the rock contains into metamorphic rock
65
what are some examples of igneous rock
granite basalt dolerite
66
what are some examples of sedimentary rock
sandstone limestone shale
67
what are some examples of metamorphic rock
slate schist marble
68
what is the erosion rate of igneous rock
very slow
69
what is the erosion rate of sedimentary rock
moderate to fast
70
what is the erosion rate of metamorphic rock
slow
71
why is igneous rock very slow to erode
-they contain interlocking crystals making it strong and erosion resistant -often have few joints and weaknesses that can be exploited
72
why is sedimentary rock moderate to fast to erode
-most are clastic and erode faster -younger rocks tend to be weaker -they have many bedding places and fractures making it vulnerable
73
why is metamorphic rock slow to erode
-they also contain crystals making them hard and more resistant to erosion -the crystals are all orientated in one direction, producing weaknesses -often folded and heavily fractured which create weaknesses
74
what is a complex cliff profile
most rocky coastlines are made up of many different types of rock from different geological periods this produces complex cliff profiles
75
what is differential erosion
erosion that occurs at irregular or varying rates caused by differences in the resistance and hardness of surface materials
76
what is the difference between permeability and porosity
porosity = small holes that collect water permeability = water passing through
77
what are examples of permeable rock types
limestones sandstones
78
what are examples of impermeable rock types
clays mudstones most igneous and metamorphic rocks
79
how can permeability increase the likelihood of erosion and recession
water can flow can weaken the layers of rock in the cliff by removing the cement that binds the layers together this affects cliff stability and increases the likelihood of erosion and recession
80
what requirements does a sand dune need to form
1. a supply of sand 2. winds that transport the sand inland 3. large intertidal range
81
what is intertidal range
the vertical difference between high tide and low tide in a coastal area
82
why is sand deposited in sand dunes
deposited by the wind when the wind speed drops
83
what is a sand dune
an accumulation of sand grains shaped into moulds or ridges by the wind under the influence of gravity
84
why are coastal sand dunes less developed in tropical countries
lower wind velocities and damper sand
85
what are the 3 stages that happen during the formation of sand dunes
Pioneer stage Building stage Final stage
86
what happens during the pioneer stage in the formation of sand dunes
-sand is trapped by obstacles such as vegetation and tidal litter -biomass from tidal litter starts to decompose -marram grass grows
87
what type of vegetation stabilises sand dunes
marram grass
87
what types of sand dune are found in the pioneer stage
embryo dunes fore dunes
88
what happens during the building stage in the formation of sand dunes
-embryo dunes collect more sand and become larger -sand collects behind them to form yellow dunes -they are stabilised by halophytic plants
89
what are halophytic plants
plants that thrive in saline environments, they can grow in salty soil or water
90
what type of sand dunes are found in the building stage
yellow dunes
91
what happens during the final stage in the formation of sand dunes
-taller plants and more complex species can grow -plants from earlier stages die out over competition for light and water -when water table nearly reaches the surface, plants are specifically adapted to be water tolerant
92
what is the water table
where water collects due to rainfall
92
what types of sand dunes are found in the final stage
grey dunes dune slack
93
what are the 2 main types of sand dune
mobile dunes fixed dunes
94
what types of sand dunes are classed as mobile dunes
embryo dunes fore dunes yellow dunes
95
what types of sand dunes are classes as fixed dunes
grey dunes dune slacks

Geography - Physical (7 decks)

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