Geography key words Michaelmas exam 2025

Erosion

The wearing away of the land by a moving force such as waves.

Abrasion

Type of erosion where sediment in the sea scrapes away at the rock.

Hydraulic action

Type of erosion where the force of the water wears the rock away.

Corrosion (solution)

Type of erosion when soft rock is dissolved by seawater.

Transportation

The movement of sediment from one place to another.

Deposition

When sediment gets dropped by a river or the sea.

Longshore drift

The movement of sediment along a beach by the sea.

Wave refraction

The process where waves change direction when they meet an obstacle like a headland.

Coastline

The area where the land meets the sea.

Headland

A part of the coastline that sticks out into the sea.

Bay

A broad, curved inlet on the coastline.

Sea cave

A hollow in the cliff carved out by erosion.

Arch

A gap in a headland created by erosion.

Stack

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

Stump

The remains of a stack that has collapsed.

Wave-cut notch

A notch at the bottom of a cliff where the sea has worn away the rock.

Wave-cut platform

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

Spit

A narrow strip of sand or shingle that extends from the shore into a river mouth.

Slack

An area of still water, often where river flow meets sea tide or waves.

Landform

A natural feature of the Earth’s surface formed by processes like erosion or deposition (e.g. bay, cliff, headland).

Swash

The movement of water up a beach after a wave breaks.

Backwash

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

Prevailing wind

The most common wind direction in a given area.

Sediment

Fragments of rock carried and deposited by water, wind, or ice.

Groynes

Wooden or concrete barriers built at right angles to the beach to slow sediment movement (longshore drift).

Rock armour (riprap)

Large rocks placed on the beach or shore to absorb wave energy.

Sea wall

A wall built (often at the base of a cliff) to reduce the impact of erosion.