Emergent and Sumergent landforms

Question 1

Emergent

Answer 1

Raised Beach = a flat, sandy or pebble-covered beach that sits above the current sea level E.G Scotland - Arran coastline

Fossil Cliff = a steep slope at the back of a raised beach that was formed by marine erosion but is now above high tide E.G The Isle of Arran

Question 2

Submergent

Answer 2

Drowned Glacial valley = Fjord - Scotland
Rias = Drowned river valley = River Fowey in Cornwall
Dalmation Coastline = The Dalmation region of Croatia

Question 3

How are submergent landforms created?

Answer 3

Eustatic change
- melting ice
- thermal expansion
- tectonics

Isostatic change
- Devensian Glacial weighs down the land
- isostatic downwarping
- accretion = sediment build up
- subsidence = land falls due to weight
- tectonics - one plate falls and the other rises during subduction

Question 4

How are emergent landforms created

Answer 4

Eustatic:
- Fall in sea level
- During glacial periods the water becomes ice sheets and sea levels drop
- Thermal contraction - opposite to thermal expansion

Isostatic:
- Land rises relative to sea level
- post glacial adjustment = isostatic recovery/rebound

Question 5

Combination of landforms

Answer 5

coastal landscapes are a consequence of a complex history of relative change so both emergent and submerged features can be found in the
same areas, e.g. Scotland with fjords and raised beaches

Question 6

Eustatic sea level rise

Answer 6

Global sea level rise

glacioeustasy or glacio-eustatic changes = when ice sheets melt causing rising global sea levels

Thermal expansion

Question 7

Isostatic sea level rise

Answer 7

Local sea level change due to rise or sink in land relative to sea level