Processes
The wearing away of rock by moving water, waves, or transported material.
Erosion
A steep-sided, narrow valley formed by vertical erosion, often with a river at the bottom.
Gorge
The distance over open water that wind blows to generate waves.
Fetch
A coastal landform formed when a crack in a cliff is widened by erosion.
Cave
Wooden or rock barriers built at right angles to the coast to trap sediment moved by longshore drift.
Groynes
The movement of sediment from one place to another by rivers or waves.
Sections of a river where water flows turbulently over uneven, rocky bed material.
Rapids
The movement of sediment along a coastline caused by waves approaching at an angle.
Longshore Drift
A landform formed when erosion breaks through a headland from one side to the other.
Arch
A sloping pile of large rocks placed at the foot of cliffs or sea walls to absorb wave energy.
Riprap
The dropping of sediment when water or waves lose energy.
Deposition
Circular holes drilled into the river bed by pebbles swirling in eddies.
Potholes
This happens when swash moves material up the beach at an angle, and backwash pulls it straight down.
Longshore Drift
A vertical pillar of rock left behind after an arch collapses.
Stack
Wire cages filled with rocks, used to absorb wave energy and reduce erosion.
Gabions
The breakdown of rock in situ, without being moved.
Weathering
Raised banks along a river channel formed by repeated flooding and deposition.
Levees
A flat, rocky surface at the base of a cliff, exposed at low tide and formed by marine erosion.
Wave-cut Platform
A shorter eroded remnant left after a stack is worn down further.
Stump
A curved or straight concrete wall built along the coast to reflect or absorb wave energy.
Seawall
The downslope movement of weathered material under the force of gravity.
Mass Movement
A winding bend in a river formed by faster flow on one side and slower flow on the other.
Meander
The undercut hollow formed at the base of a cliff by wave erosion.
Wave-cut Notch
A narrow ridge of sand or shingle attached to land at one end and extending into the sea.
Spit
“Groynes stop erosion by blocking waves completely.” Why is this incorrect?
Groynes mainly trap sediment moved by longshore drift, rather than stopping waves