IGCSE Coastal Environments

What is hydraulic action?

• Erosion caused by the impact of water trapping air in cracks

• Erosion caused by chemicals in the sea dissolving rocks

• Erosion caused by rocks hitting each other

• Deposition of material by waves

Which type of wave is responsible for deposition?

• Destructive waves

• Constructive waves

• Tidal waves

• Tsunami waves

What is longshore drift?

• The movement of water along the coastline

• The transportation of sand and pebbles along the coast by waves

• The movement of waves perpendicular to the shore

• The formation of a beach

Attrition is when:

• Waves break down material by dissolving it

• Sand and pebbles scrape against rock, wearing it away

• Rocks and pebbles collide and break into smaller pieces

• Water forces air into cracks, causing rock to break

The main difference between constructive and destructive waves is:

• Constructive waves are larger

• Destructive waves have a stronger swash than backwash

• Constructive waves deposit material, while destructive waves erode it

• Destructive waves create beaches

What is abrasion?

• When water dissolves minerals in the rock

• When sand and pebbles scrape against cliffs and wear them down

• When rocks smash into each other

• When rocks are dissolved by acids in the water

The process where rocks are dissolved by seawater is called:

• Solution

• Attrition

• Hydraulic action

• Abrasion

What is backwash?

• The movement of water up the beach after a wave breaks

• The movement of water back down the beach

• The sideways movement of waves

• The flow of water parallel to the coastline

Which factor does NOT influence the rate of coastal erosion?

• Type of rock

• Fetch of the waves

• Amount of rainfall

• Presence of vegetation

Spits are formed by:

• Erosion

• Deposition of material transported by longshore drift

• Wave refraction

• Solution