Podcast
Questions and Answers
What term describes coarse, rounded rock fragments found in coastal areas?
What term describes coarse, rounded rock fragments found in coastal areas?
Hydraulic action is the process by which waves dissolve minerals in rocks.
Hydraulic action is the process by which waves dissolve minerals in rocks.
False
What is the term for the distance that wind travels over water, affecting wave size?
What is the term for the distance that wind travels over water, affecting wave size?
fetch
Chemical and physical processes contribute to the process of __________.
Chemical and physical processes contribute to the process of __________.
Signup and view all the answers
Match the following erosion processes with their descriptions:
Match the following erosion processes with their descriptions:
Signup and view all the answers
Which factor does NOT influence the size of waves?
Which factor does NOT influence the size of waves?
Signup and view all the answers
Soft materials lead to the formation of arches and stacks.
Soft materials lead to the formation of arches and stacks.
Signup and view all the answers
What coastal feature is formed from hard rock that sticks out into the sea?
What coastal feature is formed from hard rock that sticks out into the sea?
Signup and view all the answers
What is formed when a cave erodes through a headland?
What is formed when a cave erodes through a headland?
Signup and view all the answers
Soft rock erodes more slowly than hard rock.
Soft rock erodes more slowly than hard rock.
Signup and view all the answers
What is the term for the transportation of sand along a beach?
What is the term for the transportation of sand along a beach?
Signup and view all the answers
When waves have limited energy, beaches often form in __________ areas.
When waves have limited energy, beaches often form in __________ areas.
Signup and view all the answers
Match the type of rock with its description:
Match the type of rock with its description:
Signup and view all the answers
What happens when the wave-cut notch becomes larger?
What happens when the wave-cut notch becomes larger?
Signup and view all the answers
Spits are formed only at river mouths.
Spits are formed only at river mouths.
Signup and view all the answers
What is a tombolo?
What is a tombolo?
Signup and view all the answers
A __________ is a column of rock left after an arch collapses.
A __________ is a column of rock left after an arch collapses.
Signup and view all the answers
Which type of wave has a strong backwash and can lead to beach erosion?
Which type of wave has a strong backwash and can lead to beach erosion?
Signup and view all the answers
Hydraulic action is a process involved in the erosion of a cliff.
Hydraulic action is a process involved in the erosion of a cliff.
Signup and view all the answers
What is the term for water movement that rushes up the beach?
What is the term for water movement that rushes up the beach?
Signup and view all the answers
The __________ of a rock is a measure of how easily water passes through it.
The __________ of a rock is a measure of how easily water passes through it.
Signup and view all the answers
Match the types of beaches with their formation:
Match the types of beaches with their formation:
Signup and view all the answers
Study Notes
Coastal Processes
- Erosion: The breaking down and wearing away of rocks and materials by wind, water, or ice. This includes chemical and physical erosion.
- Transportation: The movement of eroded material from one location to another.
- Deposition: The dropping or depositing of sediment carried by wind, water, or ice when the carrying agent loses energy. This creates coastal features.
- Wave Energy: Waves derive energy from wind; stronger waves cause more erosion. Factors influencing wave size include wind speed, duration, and fetch (distance over water).
- Hydraulic Action: The forceful impact of waves against cliffs, forcing air into cracks to widen and deepen them, weakening the rock.
- Abrasion: Rocks and pebbles carried by waves colliding and wearing each other down. This makes them smaller, rounder, and smoother.
- Attrition: Rocks and pebbles transported by waves colliding with each other and breaking apart as they're thrown against cliffs.
- Corrosion (Solution): Chemicals in seawater dissolving minerals in rocks over thousands of years.
Headlands and Bays
- Headlands: Prominent, jutting portions of land protruding into the sea. Primarily composed of hard rocks (e.g., granite) that resist erosion.
- Bays: Areas of softer rock eroded by the sea, often situated between headlands. Often featuring sandy beaches due to the gentler wave action.
- Cliff Formation: Cliffs are shaped by erosion and weathering.
Wave-Cut Platforms
- Formation: Wave-cut platforms are created when the sea erodes the base of a cliff.
- Process: A wave-cut notch is formed by erosion (hydraulic action and abrasion). As the notch widens, the cliff becomes unstable and collapses under gravity. This results in the cliff retreating inland. The debris is eroded and transported, leaving a wave-cut platform.
Eroding a Headland (Caves, Arches, Stacks, Stumps)
- Sequence: Sea attacks cracks, enlarging them through hydraulic action, abrasion, and weathering. This forms caves, which become larger. Erosion continues through headlands creating arches. The arch's roof weakens and collapses, forming a stack. Continued erosion breaks down the stack into a stump.
Longshore Drift
- Process: The movement of sand and sediments along a coastline, influenced by wave strength and impact angle. The prevailing winds dictate the direction.
- Swash: Waves move up the beach, transporting sediment with them.
- **Backwash:**Water moves down the beach back into the sea due to gravity.
- Zigzag Movement: This combined action of swash and backwash creates a zig-zag pattern of sediment transport.
Spits
- Formation: Formed by longshore drift depositing material in the sea, creating an extension of the coastline.
- **Attachment:**Typically one end is connected to the mainland, with the other extending into the water. Often found next to estuaries or river mouths.
- Marshland Formation: A salt marsh can be formed behind the spit as deposited sediment builds up.
- Vegetation Growth: Vegetation may establish on the spit over time.
Hooks
- Definition: A spit whose end develops a curve (hook) due to changing wind directions.
Beaches
- Composition: Composed of eroded materials transported and deposited by the sea.
- Formation in Sheltered Areas: Often form in sheltered areas (bays) where wave energy is reduced.
- Sandy Beaches: Typically found in bays with calmer waters.
- Pebble Beaches: Commonly form where cliffs erode and high-energy waves predominate.
- Swash and Backwash: The uprush (swash) of water on the shore and its downrush (backwash) impact the beach's formation and sediment transport.
Wave Types
- Constructive Waves: characterized by a strong swash, depositing sediment and building up beaches. Low-energy waves, with a low wave height in relation to the wavelength.
- Destructive Waves: having a strong backwash, erode the shoreline. High-energy waves, with a high wave height compared to their wavelength
Tides
- Definition: The regular rise and fall of sea level.
Geology
- Sedimentary Rocks: Formed by compacted sediments (e.g., chalk, limestone).
- Metamorphic Rocks: Formed from existing rocks subjected to high heat and pressure (e.g., marble, slate).
- Igneous Rocks: Formed from cooled volcanic lava (e.g., basalt, granite).
Rock Characteristics
- Resistance: The ability of a rock to resist erosion. Hard rocks erode slowly. Softer rocks erode quickly.
- Porosity: How easily water passes through a rock.
Tombolo
- Definition: A spit connecting the mainland to an island.
Bar
- Definition: A strip of sand deposited by longshore drift that traps seawater behind it.
Salt Marsh
- Definition: A coastal wetland flooded and drained by tides.
Studying That Suits You
Use AI to generate personalized quizzes and flashcards to suit your learning preferences.
Description
Test your knowledge on coastal processes such as erosion, transportation, and deposition. Explore how wave energy and hydraulic actions shape coastal landscapes. This quiz challenges your understanding of marine geography and sediment transport.
