Coasts Keywords EQ 1

• Littoral Zone: The area between the high and low tide marks where the land meets the sea, encompassing the backshore, foreshore, nearshore and offshore zones
• Backshore zone: The area of the beach above the high tide line, often only affected by waves during storms or high tides
• Nearshore Zone: The area between the low tide mark and where waves begin to break, including the zone of LSD and wave action
• Offshore Zone: The deep-water area beyond the point where waves start to break, largely unaffected by wave action
• Dynamic: Refers to processes or systems that are constantly changing or evolving over time due to various forces
• Geology: The study of the Earth's physical structure and substance, including rocks, minerals and the processes that shape the Earth's surface
• Rocky coasts: coastal areas dominated by rock formations, cliffs and often steep topography, typically shaped by processes of erosion
• Coastal plain: a flat, low-lying area adjacent to a coastline, often formed from sediment deposits and usually characterized by beaches and estuaries
• Geological structure: The arrangement and organization of rocks in the Earth's crust, including aspects such as bedding planes, joints and folds
• Concordant coast: A coastline where rock layers (strata) run parallel to the shore, often resulting in fewer bays and headlands
• Discordant coast: a coastline where rock layers (strata) are perpendicular to the shore, often resulting in alternating bays and headlands
• Coastal morphology: The study of the shapes, features and structures of coastlines, including how they are formed and altered by physical processes
• Dalmatian Coast: A type of concordant coastline where parallel mountain ranges have been partially submerged by rising sea levels, creating a series of elongated islands and peninsulas
• Haff coast: A type of concordant coastline featuring long, shallow lagoons (haffs) separated from the sea by narrow sandbars or spits
• Headland: A protruding area of land jutting out into the sea, usually composed of resistant rock that erodes more slowly than the surrounding material
• Bay: A broad coastal inlet with a wide opening to the sea, often formed in areas of softer rock that erodes more quickly
• Bedding planes: The horizontal layers of rock that form as sediment accumulate over time, which can influence the erosion and stability of coastlines
• Jointing: Natural fractures or cracks in rock layers that can influence the rate of erosion, particularly along coastlines
• Dip: The angle at which rock layers are inclined from the horizontal which can affect how a coastline erodes
• Faulting: The displacement of rock layers due to tectonic forces which can create features like cliffs and valleys
• Folding: The bending of rock layers due to tectonic forces which can influence the formation of coastal features
• Cliff profiles: cross-sectional shape of a cliff, which can vary depending on the type of rock, wave action and erosion processes
• Micro-features: Small-scale features of the coastal landscape such as caves, arches and stacks, formed by localized erosion processes
• Coastal recession: The process of coastlines retreating inland over time due to erosion, sea level rise or human activities
• Bedrock lithology: The study of the physical characteristics of the bedrock, including its composition, structure and resistance to erosion
• Igneous: Rocks formed from the cooling and solidification of magma or lava, typically resistant to erosion e.g granite
• Sedimentary: Rocks formed from the accumulation and compaction of sediment, often less resistant to erosion e.g sandstone
• Metamorphic: Rocks that have undergone transformation due to intense heat and pressure, often becoming harder and more resistant e.g marble
• Unconsolidated material: loose, uncemented sediment or soil that is more prone to erosion and movement compared to solid rock
• Boulder clay: a type of unconsolidated material, also known as till, deposited by glaciers, often poorly sorted and prone to erosion
• Strata: Layers of rock or sediment that have accumulated over time, often visible in cliffs and other exposed geological formations
• Permeable: Rocks or soils that allow water to pass through them, often leading to increased weathering and erosion
• Impermeable: Rocks or soils that do not allow water to pass through, often leading to surface runoff and less erosion
• Resistant: Refers to rocks or materials that are less likely to erode due to their hardness or composition
• Vegetation: Plant life that can stabilize coastal environments, reducing erosion through root systems and the trapping of sediments
• Dune Successional Development: The process by which sand dunes evolve over time, often starting with pioneer species and leading to more complex vegetation structures
• Salt Marsh Successional Development: The gradual change in plant species composition in a salt marsh, typically progressing from pioneer species to a more stable community