Edexcel A Level Geography - Glamorgan Coast

Where is the Glamorgan Heritage Coast?

South Wales

What is the Glamorgan Heritage Coast like?

14 miles long stretch of high-energy coastline

Where do waves come from?

Bristol Channel

What does the Bristol Channel do?

funnels large destructive waves onto the coast from the south-west

What is the structure of the coastline

discordant

What do the destructive waves do?

create a highly-eroded coast prone to cliff falls

What is the coast characterised by?

high vertical cliffs

What are the cliffs made out of?

sedimentary rock (limited resistance), mainly carboniferous limestone, sandstone, shale and mudstone

What have formed on the discordant coastline

Headlands at: Witches Point and Nash Point
Bays near: Dunraven and Merthyr Mawr

What are there large areas of?

wave-cut platforms

What are the wave-cut platforms made by?

Waves eroding the cliff, leaving a flat platform behind

Where are they especially around?

limestone at Nash Point

What are left at Nash Point when the layers of softer shale have been eroded?

original limestone strata

What is a part of the coastline?

The Southerndown Coast

What is the Southerndown Coast classified as?

a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)