Coasts - Terms Flashcards
longshore drife
the movement of material along a beach, transported by wave action
bars
ridges of sand or shine across the entrance of a bay or river mouth
tombolos
spits connecting an island to the mainland
groynes
wooden, stone or concrete barriers built at right angles to the coast in order to break the power of the waves and reduce movement of sediment along the beach
saltmarsh
an area of mudflats formed when sediment is deposited in the low wave energy behind a spit
cliff notch
a small overhang formed at the base of a cliff by wave action (erosion)
headlands
areas of more resistant rock at the bottom of cliffs seen at low tide
cave
a hollow at the base of a cliff which as been eroded by waves
arch
a work bridge formed at a headland that has been partly broken through by the sea
stack
an isolated column of rock sticking up out of the sea just off the coast that was once attached to the land
stump
a short piece of rock at the end of a headland formed after a stack has collapsed
bay
a broad coastal inlet often cured and with a beach, between two headlands
geo
where a dave forms in a cliff and enlarges, it’s roof my gradually weaken and collapse, leaving a narrow steep sided inlet in the cliff called a geo
tropical storms
areas of very low pressure in low latitudes with strong winds and heavy reain
