What is the littoral zone?
The wider coastal zone, including adjacent land areas and shallow sea. Exposed at low tide, underwater at high tide.
What sections is the littoral zone divided into?
Offshore, Nearshore, Foreshore, Backshore
Which parts of the littoral zone experience the most human activity?
Backshore and foreshore.
Describe a summer beach profile.
Gentle slope, wider berm, constructive waves.
Describe a winter beach profile.
Steeper profile, bar, dune scarp, destructive waves.
What are short-term factors affecting coasts?
Individual waves, daily tides, seasonal storms
What are long-term factors affecting coasts?
Sea level change, climate change.
What are the inputs of the coastal system?
People (human activity, coastal management), Marine (waves, tides, storm surges), Atmospheric (climate, weather, solar energy), Land (rock type, structure, tectonics).
What are the processes in the coastal system?
Mass movement, weathering, erosion, transport, deposition.
What are the outputs of the coastal system?
Erosional landforms (arch, stack, stump, headland, bay),
Depositional landforms (spits, tombolos, beaches),
Different coasts (rocky, sandy, wetlands, coral reefs).
What is the main source of sediment in The Wash and North Norfolk beaches?
Eroding cliffs (retreating ~1m per year, ~60% sediment is sand).
Other sources of sediment in The Wash?
Tidal currents, glacial deposits, Holderness cliffs erosion, rivers discharging.
How are coasts classified?
- Geology: rocky, sandy, estuarine, concordant/discordant.
- Energy: high or low energy coastlines.
- Balance: erosional vs depositional coasts.
- Sea level: emergent or submergent coasts.
What coastal features are linked to these processes?
- Longshore drift + deposition → spit
- Deposition + connection → tombolo
- Erosion → wave-cut platform, arch
What characterises high-energy coastlines?
Strong waves, erosion > deposition, erosional landforms (cliffs, headlands, platforms), often Atlantic-facing.
What characterises low-energy coastlines?
Weaker waves, deposition > erosion, depositional landforms (beaches, spits, mudflats).
What are igneous rocks? Give an example.
Formed from cooled lava/magma, resistant to erosion. Example: Giant’s Causeway.
What are sedimentary rocks?
Formed from sediments deposited by rivers, sea, or erosion. Resistance varies.
What are metamorphic rocks?
Sedimentary rocks altered by heat + pressure, very resistant (e.g. shale → slate, limestone → marble).
Give an example of a coastal landform made in limestone.
Durdle Door (arch).
Why is the Moray Coast in Scotland notable?
Old red sandstone forms stacks through erosion.
Why is Walton-on-the-Naze (Essex) easily eroded?
Made of soft clay and sand.
What is a concordant coastline? Example?
Rock bands run parallel to the coast. Features: coves, bays. Example: Lulworth Cove.
What is a discordant coastline? Example?
Rock bands run perpendicular to coast. Features: headlands + bays.
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Tectonic Hazards24
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Tectonic Keywords59
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Plate Tectonic Theories10
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Hotspots5
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Hawaii2
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17.9.248
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Volcanoes22
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Eyjafjallajökull, Iceland5
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Haiti11
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Christchurch11
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Hazard Profiles10
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Development And Governance2
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Parks Model7
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Causes Of Tectonic Hazards12
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Hazard Adaptation + Mitigation18
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Coasts127
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Water Cycle11
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Coast25
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Tectonics49
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4.2.26 Keyword Test11
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Carbon31
