Y9 Coasts

Question 1

What is weathering?

Answer 1

The decay or disintegration of rocks from their original place on, or next to, the ground surface.

Mostly caused by weather factors such as rainfall or temperature change.

Question 2

What is erosion?

Answer 2

The gradual wearing away of sediment with movement overtime through ice, wind and rivers.

Question 3

What are the types of erosion?

Answer 3

Hydraulic action
Abrasion
Attrition
Solution

Question 4

What is deposition?

Answer 4

The process of water, ice wind or gravity depositing sediment in a new place.

Occurs when the velocity of the water decreases and energy is reduced so the water can no longer hold all its material

Question 5

What factors affect the rate of weathering?

Answer 5

Type of rock
Climate

Question 6

What is mechanical weathering?

Answer 6

Process through which rocks are physically broken into smaller pieces.

Question 7

How do plants weather rocks?

Answer 7

When roots grow into the cracks of rocks and expand the rock

Question 8

What two processes form a spit?

Answer 8

Longshore Drift
Deposition

Question 9

Examples of hard engineering?

Answer 9

Sea walls
Rock armour
Gabions
Groynes

Question 10

Examples of soft engineering?

Answer 10

Beach nourishment
Managed retreat
Sand dune regeneration.

Question 11

What are the properties of a constructive wave?

Answer 11

Low energy
Stronger swash than backwash (deposit sediment on beach)

Question 12

What are the properties of a destructive wave?

Answer 12

High wave height
High wave frequency
Stronger backwash than swash
High energy / Fast
Created by a strong wind over a large fetch

Question 13

What is traction?

Answer 13

Large rocks and boulders rolling across the sea bed

Question 14

What is saltation?

Answer 14

Small pebbles and stones bouncing along the sea bed

Question 15

What is solution (transportation)?

Answer 15

Dissolved minerals carried by the water

Question 16

What is suspension?

Answer 16

Fine, light material such as clay carried by the water.

Question 17

What is mass movement?

Answer 17

The downward movement of materials under the influence of gravity.

Question 18

What is rockfall?

Answer 18

Bits of rock fall of the cliff face, usually due to freeze-thaw weathering.

Question 19

What is mudflow?

Answer 19

Saturated soil (soil filled with water) flows down a slope.

Question 20

What is rotational slip?

Answer 20

Saturated soil slumping down a curved surface.

Question 21

What is landslide?

Answer 21

Large blocks of rock sliding down hill.

Question 22

What is abrasion?

Answer 22

Sediment being thrown at the cliff face by the force of the waves, knocking pieces of rock into the water.

Question 23

What is attrition?

Answer 23

The collision of sediment particles that break into smaller, more rounded pebbles.

Question 24

What is solution (erosion)?

Answer 24

The process of acidic water dissolving soluble sediment.

Question 25

What is hydraulic action?

Answer 25

Pockets of air and water being forced into the cliff by the water, then expanding, cracking the rock.