Coastlines Geography EOY exam

Destructive Waves

stronger backwash than swash

Constructive Waves

stronger swash than backwash

Intertidal zone

The zone between high tide and low tide.

Coastline

transition zone between land and sea

Erosion

Wearing away and removal of material by a moving force, such as the sea

Deposition

dropping of material that was being carried by a moving force, such as the sea

Transportation

The movement of material around coastlines by the action of the sea.

Swash

The forward motion of a wave which tends to deposit sediment.

Backwash

The backwards movement of a wave which tends to erode the coastline.

Hydraulic Action

Force of waves hits cliffs forcing pockets of air into cracks causing minor explosions

Corrosion (solution)

dissolving of rocks by salty sea water (esp. limestone)

Abrasion (corrasion)

waves hurl pebbles at cliffs, thus eroding them and starting a cycle.

Attrition

material carried by waves becoming rounded and small as it collides with other material in sea

Fetch

The distance of open ocean over which waves are formed

Prevailing wind

The most common wind direction.

Weathering

Breakdown of rocks on the spot without the agent of movement.

Bay

inlet formed of softer rocks

Headland

Land made of more resistant rocks jutting out to sea

Cave

Waves force their way into cracks in the cliff face.

Arch

Waves erode through the back of a cave

Stack

Roof of an arch collapses due to gravity.

Stump

Sea erodes base of stack and so top collapses due to gravity.

Longshore Drift

loosened sediment is moved along a beach in direction of prevailing wind as swash carries it in at angle and backwash then carries it directly out to sea

Beach

accumulation of coastal sediments ,most often occurring in sheltered areas along coast

Soft engineering

A type of technique which uses nature against itself e.g. beach replenishment.

Hard engineering

A type of technique which interrupts and works against nature e.g. sea walls.

Sea walls

This is a type of hard engineering that involves the construction of a wall at the base of a retreating cliff or at the back of the beach. They often have a recurved face to deflect the waves back down the beach. They are durable and last a long time but are very ugly, so have to be buried under shingle.