Coastal processes and landforms
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Flip to reveal answersMarine vs subaerial processes?
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All 12 Flashcards — Coastal processes and landforms
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Question
Marine vs subaerial processes?
Answer
**Marine** = the **sea** does the work (waves, hydraulic action, abrasion). **Subaerial** = the **land/air** does it above the waterline (weathering, mass movement).
Question
Define longshore drift.
Answer
The **zig-zag transport of sediment along a coast** by waves that hit the shore at an angle.
Question
Define lithology (coasts).
Answer
The **rock type and its resistance** — hard rock erodes slowly, soft rock fast.
Question
Erosion sequence on a headland?
Answer
Crack -> cave -> **arch** -> **stack** -> **stump**; the cliff also retreats to leave a **wave-cut platform**.
Question
What is a wave-cut platform?
Answer
A gently sloping **rock bench at the cliff foot**, left behind as the cliff is undercut and retreats.
Question
Name three subaerial processes.
Answer
**Freeze-thaw weathering**, **salt weathering** and **mass movement** (slumping/rockfall). NOT wave action.
Question
How does a sand dune form?
Answer
A drying beach + onshore wind move sand; an obstacle traps it; **vegetation** colonises and fixes it into a tall dune.
Question
Two ways vegetation builds a dune?
Answer
It **traps wind-blown sand** (slowing the wind) and **binds the sand with roots** (marram grass), so the dune grows and stays fixed.
Question
Emergent vs submergent coast?
Answer
**Emergent** (sea falls/land rises) -> **raised beaches + relict cliffs**. **Submergent** (sea rises/land sinks) -> **rias + fjords**.
Question
How does a raised beach form?
Answer
Ice melts -> land is unloaded -> it **rebounds upward (isostatic uplift)**, stranding an old beach **above** the present sea.
Question
How does a fjord form?
Answer
A glacier carves a deep **U-shaped valley** below sea level; the ice melts and **sea level rises**, drowning the valley.
Question
What does a top [10] essay need?
Answer
**Two+ developed factors/processes**, a **named coast**, a weighing of their **relative importance**, and a clear **judgement**.
Read the notes
Full study notes for Coastal processes and landforms
Topic 8.2 hub
Interactions between oceans and the coastal places
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Geography exam skills
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