Erosion

What is hydraulic action?

The force of waves crash against cliffs and traps and compresses air in rock cracks, causing rocks to break apart and widen fissures

What features can hydraulic action lead to?

Caves, arches and retreating cliff faces

What can hydraulic action weaken?

Wave cut notches and platform bases

What is abrasion?

Where waves hurl rocks and sediment against cliffs, which grinds and chips them away

What is attrition?

Rocks, sediment and pebbles are carried by waves when they collide they smash into each other and become smaller and smoother

What can sediment turn into during attrition?

Sand or silt

What is sub-aerial?

Land based processes which weaken and breakdown rocks and soil above the high tide mark

What does sub-aerial do to cliffs?

Makes them unstable and retreats coastlines

What is human activity erosion?

Man made innovations such as sea walls and groynes disrupt natural sediment flows which leads to erosion at other places at the coastline

What is solution?

Soluble rocks are dissolved by water which typically contains weak carbonic acid

What is wave pounding/quarrying?

The force of breaking waves hit cliffs and shorelines that compress air into cracks and leads to material break off

What landforms does wave pounding lead to?

Caves and arches