Unit-9

What happens where the land meets the sea?

(9.1-9.6)
Break it, move it, build it!
• What is a coastline?
• The area of land where the sea meets
the shore is known as the
• The sea breaks down, moves around
and builds up the coast.
• This process has been occurring for
millions of years, and it part of the
interaction between the
Shaping our coast!
• Our coastline changes over time, and geomorphology is the study of
how it changes.
• Geomorphology = the scientific study of the physical structure and
features of the Earth, its landforms and processes.
• Geomorphic processes change how the world looks through actions
such as weathering, erosion, transportation, and deposition..
Weathering
• Weathering is a process that
changes the structure and
appearance of materials like
cliffs, by how they are
exposed to the atmosphere.
• You studied the three forms
of weathering in Lesson 2.2
(pages 24-25)
• Freeze-thaw weathering,
Chemical weathering and
Biological weathering.
 Geology
• How coasts change depends not only on the geomorphic processes, but also
on the geology (or rock-type) of the area.
• The map in Figure B shows north juts out to sea as a headland.
• It is formed from chalk, a sedimentary rock, which is relatively hard.
• This means it is stronger than surrounding rocks, and can resist erosion by the
sea for longer.
• Much of Holderness is covered with glacial till, soft material dumped here by
glaciers. Glacial till = unsorted glacial sediment.
• This rock is made of clay with a mixture of boulders.
• This material can be eroded and weathered much more quickly than the
chalk.
• Subaerial erosion is the weathering and movement of the top of a cliff.
• This is not necessarily caused by the sea.
Erosion
• Erosion is the wearing or breaking down of material like rocks.
• Waves drive erosion through their own power or by influencing how
material on the beach or in the sea, moves around.
• There are four erosion types:
1. Hydraulic action
2. Attrition
3. Abrasion
4. Corrosion or solution.
 Headlands and bays
1) What is a headland and a bay?
The headland is the harder rock that
is left sticking out, as it erodes more
slowly, while the bay is the softer
rock that erodes quickly.
• Model showing a headland and
bay
• As weathering and erosion processes shape the coast, they create
landforms. These include:
➢ headlands and bays
➢ wave-cut platforms
➢ caves, arches, stacks and stumps.
These landforms evolve constantly.
Caves, arches, stacks and stumps
• The chalk contains structural
weaknesses, which mean that
the sea can erode the cliff at
different rates, creating and
enlarging cracks in the rock,
which are eventually enlarge into
caves.
• Two caves either side of a
headland can eventually be
eroded through to form an arch.
Wave-cut platforms
• Wave-cut platforms
are visible when the
tide is out.
• The platform is
created by erosion
processes over time.
• Waves hit the base
of the cliff creating a
notch.
Transportation
• Not only does the sea erode
coastlines, but it then moves
the eroded material along
and away from beaches and
cliffs.
• This is called transportation
and it is controlled by the
waves.
• But how do waves work?
Constructive and destructive waves
• Waves are caused by the movement of
wind (not the same as tides which are
controlled by the Moon).
• As the wind blows over the surface of
the sea, it creates friction on the surface,
which pushes water along to build up a
wave.
• Water within the wave moves in circular
patterns, getting bigger as the wave gets
taller and then, when the wave meets
the shore, it becomes unstable and is
forced to break.
• There are two
types of waves:
1. Constructive and
2. Destructive
• These waves shape
beaches by either
building them up
or eroding them
down.
Longshore drift
• As waves transport material,
they can completely change
the shape of the beach.
• A process called longshore
drift is the transportation of
beach material (such as
sand and pebbles) along the
beach, according to the
direction of the waves See
Diagram C..
• Waves action has a major impact on
the Holderness coast.
• The dominant wave direction is north-
easterly (see Diagram C).
• Longshore drift transports beach
material southwards towards Spurn
Point.
• This means beaches change shape,
and the wave action can cause them to
become smaller in some places and
bigger in others.
Deposition
• When the waves no longer
have the energy to carry the
material that has been
eroded and transported along
the coast, it is deposited.
• Small material, such as sand,
can float in the water for
longer, but larger material is
deposited sooner.
• These deposits build up and,
over time, beaches are
formed.
• Beaches continue to evolve as
erosion and transportation
continues, and the cycle of
“break it → move it → make it”
carries on.
• This can lead to other landforms
being created such as spits, bars
and tombolos.
• Spit= a ridge of sand or shingle
joined to the land at one end and
sticking out into the sea at the
other.
• Tombolo= A narrow piece of land
made of sediment such as sand
or gravel that connects an island
to the mainland or another
island.
• These landforms are all created due to deposition.
• They are also vulnerable to change (and to erosion and destruction) by waves
and longshore drift, unless they are protected.
The use and value of landforms
• Beaches, spits, bars and tombolos are all used by people for different
reasons.
• All over the world, coastlines are used for varied social, economic and
environmental purposes including fishing, sailing, tourism, residences,
adventure sports, or just walking the dog!
• Such landforms are also popular with wildlife, birds and seals in particular
flock to these habitats.
• This also attracts people to watch them.
• When coastal engineers, planners and the Environment Agency study the
coast they must look at its value.
• This is important when deciding if an area needs protecting.