Coastal erosion

Question	Answer
Abrasion	Rocks in the water smash against the cliff face a wear it down (sandpaper action)
Hydraluic Action	Air may become trapped in joints and cracks in a cliff. The trapped air is compressed by waves which weakens the cliff causing erosion
Attrition	Rocks/pebbles are smashed together causing them to get smaller and rounder
Solution	Acids in sea water desolve some rock types (e.g. limestone and chalk)
Marine	Erosion which is caused directly by the action of waves/ the sea
Wave cut notch	A notch cut into a cliff face between the levels of high and low tide
Wave cut platform	Flat, smooth rock which is left behind as a cliff is eroded backwards, further inland
Line of Weakness	Rocks are not uniform, they contain cracks and lines of weakness that can be exploited by erosion
Cave	As a line of weakness is eroded back into the headland and sideways a cave is formed
Arch	Erosion os a caves back wall continues, eventually the water erodes through forming an arch
Stack	As an arch widens the roof grows heavier. Eventually it collapses leaving a pillar of rock, a stack
Stump	Erosion at a stack's base causes the stack to colapse, leaving a stump behind

Resource summary

	Created by Mr D Bishop about 10 years ago