Flashcards
A-Level Geography - Physical - Coasts
Cards in this deck (57)
- 1What is the Littoral Zone?The whole coastal area consisting of
-Coastal Zone
-Backshore
-Foreshore
-Nearshore
-Offshore - 2What is the Coastal Zone?The whole area where the land meets the ocean
An interface - 3What is the Backshore Zone?Beach extending from limit of high water foam to inland limit beach to a cliff
Sediments are large/coarse and angular/sub-rounded - 4What is the Foreshore Zone?'Inter-tidal surf zone' or 'seashore'
Includes 'soft' mobile or semi-mobile sediment (sand, mud shingle) or 'hard' sediments - 5What is the Nearshore Zone?'Breaker zone'
Extends seaward from surf zone
Affected by longshore drift - 6What is the Offshore Zone?Seaward from low tide to wave-base level/continental shelf
Wind energy more dominant than wave energy - 7Coastal Inputs - Marine-Waves
-Tides
-Salt Spray - 8Coastal Inputs - Atmospheric-Sun
-Precipitation
-Air Pressure
-Wind Speed and Direction - 9Coastal Inputs - Human-Recreation
-Pollution
-Settlement
-Defences - 10Coastal Processes-Erosion
-Transportation
-Deposition
-Weathering
-Mass Movement - 11Coastal Outputs-Beaches
-Sand Dunes
-Spits
-Bars/Tombolos
-Headlands
-Bays - 12Coastal Outputs (continued)-Cliffs
-Wave-cut Platforms
-Caves
-Arches
-Stacks
-Stumps - 13What is a concordant coast?When the geology runs parallel to a coast
- 14What is a discordant coast?When the geology runs into the coast with alternating rock type
- 15Tidal RangesMicrotidal: 0-2m
Mesotidal: 2-4m
Macrotidal: 4m+ - 16How are primary coasts formed?Land-based processes
e.g. deposition from rivers - 17How are secondary coasts formed?By marine erosion
e.g. hydraulic action - 18What is an emergent coast?When land rises compared to sea-level
e.g. tectonic uplift - 19What is a submergent coast?When coastal areas are becoming flooded
- 20What is an isostatic coast?Land rising/falling
It is usually local - 21What is a eustatic coast?Sea levels rising/falling
Usually global - 22What is a ria?A flooded river valley
- 23What is a fjord>A flooded glacier valley
- 24What happens on rocky coasts?-High energy
-Erosion exceeds deposition
-Develops unique landforms - 25What happens on sandy coastlines?-Lower energy
-Deposition exceeds erosion
-Includes beaches, spits etc. - 26What is sedimentary rock?Rocks made from other rock through pressure
Clastic = made from other rocks and cement - 27What is metamorphic rock?Existing rocks are heated and pressurised
Changes hardness and patterns
Causes secondary porosity - 28What is an igneous rock?Cooled magma forms the rock
Extrusive: cool quick, fine grained
Intrusive: cool slow, coarse grained
Causes secondary porosity - 29What is porosity?The percentage of space in a rock
- 30What is secondary porosity?-Faults
-Fissures
-Joints - 31What is permeability?The ability of fluids to pass through a rock
- 32What is a dip?When the cliff has angles
e.g. Landward is stable, seaward unstable - 33What are joints?A crack caused by hydraulic action or abrasion
Struggles to hold rock above - 34What are faults?-Tectonic actions
-Major weaknesses in rock layers
-Rocks are often heavily fractured - 35What are fissures?Tiny cracks which can develop into joints
Usually lots of them - 36Folding-Starts rigid and flat
-Anticline pushes middle up due to heat and pressure
-Top is taken off by weathering and erosion leaving uneven surface - 37What is weathering?Breakdown of rock in situ
Due to rain, temperature wind etc.
Physical, chemical and biological - 38What is erosion?Breakdown of rocks by the sea, wind or rain, but mainly hydraulic action, abrasion etc.
- 39What is transportation?Movement of sediment along the coast by waves
- 40What is deposition?Sediment is carried along the coast and deposited down the coastline
- 41What influences rock resistance?-Reactivity of minerals in rocks
-Clastic rocks erode quicker than crystalline
-Degree of cracks, faults, fissures and joints - 42What is sub-aerial/terrestrial erosion?-Weathering
-Mass movement
-Surface run off
More important when cliffs are softer - 43What is marine erosion?When cliffs are eroded by the waves rather than land movements
- 44What are coastal plains?-Low lying, low relief
-Low energy
-Salt marshes and wetlands - 45How do coastal plains form?-Fall in sea level
-Deposition of sediment from rivers (coastal accretion)
-Equilibrium (river input = marine erosion) - 46Why do discordant bays create bays and headlands?-Alternating rock strata
-Some is softer than others
-Softer rock erodes inland, so bays occur
-Harder rock resists, creating headland - 47What is a dalmatian coast?Folds form parallel to the concordant coast creating small islands
e.g. Croatia - 48What is a haff coast?Dunes and spits form parallel to concordant coast
e.g. Baltic coast - 49What structures affect rate of erosion?-Dips (angle dependent)
-Faults
-Joints
-Fissures - 50What is lithology?-Make-up of rocks
-Hardness of rocks
-Permeability
-Physical make-up (joints, faults etc.) - 51Rock conclusions-Scratched = no resistance
-Reacts with HCl = prone to corrosion
-HCl soaks in = porous - 52What is a sand dune?A mound of dune which is created by tides.
Sand is trapped in grass, grass grows, and so does dune - 53What is an ecosystem?Lots of plants and wildlife and biodiversity
- 54What is a halophyte?Plants which tolerate salt water
- 55What is a xerophyte?A plant which tolerates dry conditions
- 56What is a psammosere?A sand dune ecosystem
- 57What is a halosere?A salt marsh ecosystem
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- Flashcards on A-Level Geography - Physical - Coasts, created by Joe Thorp on 08/10/2019.
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- Joe Thorp
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