Landforms

• Describe the process of longshore drift

  The movement of sand along the coast in a zigzag motion

  The swash carries pebbles up the beach and backwash pulls pebbles down the beach

  The direction depends on the angle of the prevailing wind
• What distinctive landforms do erosion, transportation and deposition create?

  Cliffs

  Wave cut platforms

  Arches

  Stacks

  Headlands and bays

  Beaches

  Split

  Estuaries
• Describe the formation of a bay

  The bay as been formed as a result of a discordant coastline, the bands of rock of alternating resistance. The softer rock is eroded faster forming a bay, examples of hard and soft rock include sandstone and clay
• How is a cave, arch, cliff and stack formed?

  Caves are formed when a large crack is opened up by hydraulic action and grows by abrasion, the cave then becomes larger and breaks through the headland forming into a natural arch. This leaves a tall rock stack and eventually collapses due to freeze thaw weathering leaving a stump
• Explain the formation of a wave cut platform

  Waves attack the bottom of the cliff between the high and low water mark

  Hydraulic action, solution and abrasion form a wave cut notch at the base of the cliff

  The wave cut notch gets bigger overtime till the overhanging rock cannot be supported anymore and collapses

  This results in cliff retreat which exposes an area of flat rock Infront of the cliffs, known as a wave cut platform
• What landforms are created due to deposition?

  Beaches - constructive waves build up a beach, longshore drift

  Spits
• How is a spit formed?

  Longshore drift transports sediment along the coast in a zigzag motion

  When the coast meets a river channel, the river flow stops the drift

  Sand is deposited forming a spit

  The spit stops growing when erosion from the river is faster than deposition