Erosional landforms

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4 Terms

1
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What are headlands and bays?

Headland and bay 

  • Found in areas of alternating bands of resistant (hard) and less resistant (soft) rocks running perpendicular to oncoming waves (discordant coastline)

  • Initially, less resistant rock (e.g. clay) is eroded back, forming a bay

    • A bay is an inlet of the sea where the land curves inwards, usually with a beach

  • The more resistant rock (e.g. limestone) is left protruding out to sea as a headland

Diagram of headland and bay formation on a discordant coastline, showing phases of wave erosion on alternating hard and soft rock layers.

The formation of headlands and bays

2
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What is a cove?

Cove

  • A cove forms where the coastline has bands of resistant and less resistant rock running parallel to the oncoming waves (concordant coastline)

    • There is usually a band of resistant rock facing the oncoming waves, with a band of softer rock behind

  • Wave processes of abrasion, corrosion and hydraulic action will exploit faults in the resistant rock and erode through to the softer rock 

  • Further wave action will erode the softer rock quickly, which will leave behind a circular cove with a narrow entrance to the sea

  • Wave refraction within the cove spreads out the erosion in all directions, creating the typical horseshoe shape

    • Lulworth Cove in Dorset, UK, is a good example of a cove

Cove formation

The formation of coves

3
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What is cliff and wave cut platform?

Cliffs and wave-cut platforms

  • Cliffs are steep rock faces

  • They are shaped through erosion and weathering processes

  • Less resistant rock erodes quickly and will form sloping cliff faces

  • Steeper cliffs are formed where there is harder rock faces the sea

  • A wave-cut platform is a wide gently sloped surface found at the foot of a cliff:

    • As the sea attacks the base of a cliff between the high and low water mark, a wave-cut notch is formed

    • Abrasion, corrosion and hydraulic action further extend the notch back into the cliff

    • The undercutting of the cliff leads to instability and collapse of the cliff

    • The backwash of the waves, carries away the eroded material, leaving behind a wave-cut platform

    • The process repeats and the cliff continues to retreat, leading to a coastal retreat

Diagram of a cliff and wave cut platform showing retreat, original and new cliff face, wave cut notch at high tide level, and low tide sea level.

The formation of cliffs and wave-cut platforms

4
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What is a cave, arch, stack and stump?

Cave, arch, stack and stump

  • Stack formation occurs on a headland due to wave action and sub-aerial weathering

  • Any weaknesses/cracks in the headland are exploited by erosional processes of hydraulic action, abrasion and corrosion

    • As the crack begins to widen, abrasion will begin to wear away at the forming cave

    • The cave will become larger and eventually break through the headland to form an arch

    • The base of the arch continually becomes wider and thinner through erosion below and weathering from above

    • Eventually, the roof of the arch collapses, leaving behind an isolated column of rock called a stack

    • The stack is undercut at the base by wave action and sub-aerial weathering above until it collapses to form a stump

Diagram illustrating stages of cave arch, stack, and stump formation on a coastal headland, highlighting erosion processes and cliff retreat direction.

Illustration showing the stages of stack formation