Coasts - Spits Flashcards
What are all beaches comprised of?
Eroded material
What is the name of the process that transports material along the coast?
Longshore drift
What is the determining factor in the direction of longshore drift?
The direction of the prevailing wind.
What is a spit?
A large sandbank that projects into the sea from the coast.
Location is important.
Where do spits form?
Spits form where there is a change in direction of the coastline or where a river enters the sea.
How does shallow water at the end of a coastal stretch result in deposition occurring?
Shallow water reduces the power of he waves and this leads to deposition.
When a spit forms across the mouth of a river, the water flowing to the sea can slow dramatically or even stop. What forms because of this?
Marshland
It forms behind the spit.
What type of water is in the marshland?
Brackish water is in the marshland.
Wat happens at the end of the spit if the wind direction changes for a significant amount of time, say 20% of the time?
A hook forms at the end of the spit.
Do all rivers have a spit across their mouth?
No
Why don’t all rivers have a spit across their mouth?
There might not be longshore drift.
Why might there be no longshore drift?
The prevailing wind is not at an angle to the coastline.
Name a location of a spit in the U.K.
Spurn Head
It is across the Humber Estuary on the east coast of England.
