Coast Y8 Michaelmas exams

Abrasion

type of erosion where sediment in the sea scrapes away at the rock

Coastline

where the land meets the sea

Erosion

the wearing away of the land by a moving force

Headland

a part of the coastline that sticks out into the sea

Hydraulic action

type of erosion where the force of the water wears the rock away

Landform

a geomorphological unit e.g. bay, headland, cliff, beach

Prevailing wind

the most common wind direction

Sediment

fragments of rock

Transportation

the moving of sediment from one place to another

Wave fraction

how waves change direction when they meet an obstacle like a headland

Arch

a gap in a headland created by erosion

Backwash

flow of water and sediment back down the beach to the sea

Bay

- a broad curved inlet on the coastline

Corrosion

type of erosion when soft rock is dissolved by the sea water

Deposition

when sediment gets dropped by a river or the sea

Groynes

wooden/concrete barriers on beaches to slow down the movement of sediment along the beach

Longshore drift

the movement of sediment along a beach by the sea

Rock armour

large rocks placed on the beach or shore to absorb wave energy

sea cave

a hollow in the cliff carved out by erosion

Sea wall

wall built (often at base of cliff) to reduce impact of erosion

Slack

an area of still water often where river flow meets sea tide/waves

Spit

a narrow strip of sand or shingle which protrudes from the shoreline into the mouth of a river

Stack

outcrop of rock in the sea just off the coast at a similar height to the coast

stump

remains of a stack that has been knocked over

Swash

movement of water up a beach after the wave has broken

Wave-cut notch

where the sea has worn away a ‘notch’ the bottom of a cliff

Wave-cut platform

flat area of rock in front of a cliff often exposed at low tide