Factors impacting coasts

What is morphology?

The shape of features, influenced by geological structure

What is an example of morphology?

Headlands and Bays

What is geology?

Characteristics of the land, including lithology and structure. These can be used to classify coasts

What is geological structure?

Features within the rock which can alter the hydraulic conductivity

What is Lithology?

Physical characteristics within a rock like the texture, colour and thickness

What are bedding planes?

Horizontal cracks within the layers of rock

What are joints?

Verticke cracks and fractures caused when sediment dries out resulting in contaction or tectonic uplift

What are folds?

Formed by pressure during tectonic activity which makes rocks buckle and crumple

How are faults formed?

Formed when the pressure of a rock exceeds its strength. The fault then slips or moves along the fault planes

What is a dip?

The angle of which the rock strata lies. This can either dip towards the sea or dip inland

Examples of rock lithology

• Sedimentary

• Igneous

• Metamorphic

How does sedimentary rock effect resistance?

• They are often heavily jointed and have weak bedding planes

• Limestone has a slower rate of erosion than sandstone

• Older sedimentary rocks are more resistant to erosion due to being subject to more intense compaction

How does Igneous rock effect erosion?

• It is composed of interlocking crystals and has fewer weaknesses than the other rock groups

• However, newly formed volcanic islands exhibit rapid erosion rates

How does metamorphic rock impact resistrance?

• They have a crystalline structure so are hard and resistant

• They are weaker than the interlocking crystals which form igneous rock

• They are often heavily folded and faulted

How is metamorphic rock formed?

It is formed by the recrystalisation of sedimentary and igneous rocks

What other factors can affect rock resistance?

• high energy waves

• weathering

• Rising sea levels