Coastal Landscapes and Systems 

<<Edexcel geography A-level Coastal Landscapes and Systems<<

The UK coastline is 31368km long

^^GEOLOGY^^

RESISTANT COASTLINES

• Cornwall is the most southwesterly part of the UK and is faced with the worst weather from the Atlantic Ocean, but its geology means it can withstand frequent winter storms without rapid erosion.
    * Igneous e.g. basalt, granite
    * Older sedimentary e.g. old red sandstone
    * Metamorphic e.g. slate, schist
      * All of these varieties are resistant to the erosive power of the sea

COASTAL PLAIN LANDSCAPES

• Eastern and southern coasts are made up of weaker and younger sedimentary rocks
    * chalk, clay, sand, sandstone
• The Wash is an area of low, flat relief called a coastal plain 20km wide and 30km long. It is the largest estuary system in the UK and is home to a wide range of habitats

HIGH ENERGY COASTLINES

• Rocky coastlines
• Stretches of Atlantic facing coast are exposed to more powerful waves
• Rate of erosion exceeds rate of deposition
• Erosional landforms

LOW ENERGY COASTLINES

• Sandy and estuarine coasts
• Stretches of coast with less powerful waves, such as a sheltered coast
• Rates of deposition exceed rate of erosion
• Landforms such as beaches and spits

CHANGING COASTS

• INPUTS
    * marine
    * atmospheric
    * land
    * people
• OUTPUTS
    * erosional landforms
    * depositional landforms
    * coast type