Coastal Morphology

• What is coastal morphology?


  Related to not only the underlying geology (rock type), but also lithology (geological structures).
• Strata


  Layers of rock
• Bedding planes


  Horizontal, natural breaks in the strata, caused by gaps in time during periods of rock formation.
• Joints


  Vertical fractures cause either by contraction as sediments dry out, or by earth movements during up lifts.
• Folds


  Formed by pressured during tectonic activity, which makes rock buckle and crumble.
• Faults


  Formed when the stress or pressure to which a rock is subject exceeds its internal strength (causing it to fracture). The faults then slip or move along fault planes. Softer material can be eroded further down by weathering like freeze-thaw.
• Dip


  Refers to the angle at which rock strata lie (horizontally, vertically, dipping towards the sea or dipping inland.