2B The littoral zone, geological structure and lithology: Practice Questions

• a.

  Attrition breaks down a cliff face into a cave, which undergoes subaerial weathering to become a stack, then collapses into an arch during high tides.

• b.

  Mass movement causes a cliff to retreat, forming a wave-cut platform which is then eroded by longshore drift into a series of caves and stacks.

• c.

  Corrosion widens bedding planes into a wave-cut notch, which deepens into a cave, eventually breaking through as a blowhole and collapsing into a stump.

• d.

  Hydraulic action and abrasion enlarge a joint into a cave, which erodes through a headland to form an arch; the arch roof eventually collapses leaving a stack, which is then eroded into a stump.

• a.

  Dalmatian coasts are formed by glacial erosion in highland areas, whereas Rias are formed by the deposition of sediment in low-energy estuarine environments.

• b.

  Dalmatian coasts form where valleys run parallel to the coast and are flooded, creating long islands, whereas Rias are flooded river valleys that run perpendicular to the coast.

• c.

  Dalmatian coasts are emergent landforms created by isostatic rebound, while Rias are submergent landforms created by eustatic sea level rise.

• d.

  Dalmatian coasts result from discordant geological structures, while Rias result from concordant geological structures and high-energy wave environments.

• a.

  The orientation of geological structures relative to the coastline in concordant settings.

• b.

  Whether the coastline is located in a high-energy or low-energy marine environment.

• c.

  The presence of resistant igneous rocks in Haff coasts versus sedimentary rocks in Dalmatian coasts.

• d.

  The difference between eustatic sea level rise and isostatic crustal rebound.

• a.

  Destructive waves

• b.

  Tsunami waves

• c.

  Storm surges

• d.

  Constructive waves

• a.

  Eustatic change is a global change in sea level due to changes in water volume, while isostatic change is a local change in land level due to loading or unloading.

• b.

  Eustatic change refers to the formation of fjords, while isostatic change refers to the formation of raised beaches and fossil cliffs.

• c.

  Eustatic change is caused by tectonic uplift, while isostatic change is caused by thermal expansion of the oceans during interglacial periods.

• d.

  Eustatic change occurs over millions of years due to seafloor spreading, while isostatic change occurs daily due to tidal cycles.

Write your answer out first, then check it against the worked solution.

Write your answer out first, then check it against the worked solution.