Cove formation

• What is our example for coves

  Lulworth cove

  
• What is initial erosion (concordant coastline)

  - Formation began after the last ice age. A river swollen by welted water flowed overland to the sea.

  - The river cut a valley and breached the Portland Stone. The rising sea flooded into the valley and started to exploit joints and weaknesses in the Purbeck Beds
• What is the impact of the river

  The river eroded vertically to reach sea level and cut through the band of limestone. This allowed the sea to reach the band of sandstone and clays
• What happened at the first cove

  - The cove formed as a pan shaped inlet

  - The cove continued to enlarge, eroding through the greensand rock
• What happened at the final cove

  - Erosion was contained and slowed down by the semi hard chalk beds to produce the semi landlocked cove of today
• Inputs of sediment and energy

  Wind and waves:

  Lulworth cove is on the South coast of the Uk, it is a high energy coastline particularly when the wind blows from the south west

  Currents:

  Longshore drift carries sediment from west to east along this coastline
• What are the stores of sediment

  within the cove, waves are refracted and their energy is dissipated allowing a beach to develop