Coastal erosion processes

• Abrasion: waves transport material which hits a cliff and gradually wears it away.
• Hydraulic action: As waves get into cracks in cliffs they trap air inside the cracks. This trapped air compresses and overtime causes the crack to get bigger and rocks break off.
• Solution: Salts and acids in seawater dissolve soluble materials in a rock causing them to break up.
• Attrition: Rocks that have broken off the cliffs collide with eachother in the waves breaking them down into smaller rounder pieces. These smaller pieces get carried by waves and when the waves hit cliffs the new small stones further erodes the cliff.