Coastal Geography Vocabulary

What is the process of rocks and land being worn away by natural forces like waves, wind, and rain?

• Erosion

• Condensation

• Photosynthesis

• Evaporation

What is it called when material (like sand and pebbles) carried by water, wind, or ice is dropped and left behind?

• Deposition

• Erosion

• Weathering

• Evaporation

What do you call a sloping area of sand, pebbles, or shingle along the edge of the sea or a lake?

• Beach

• Cliff

• Forest

• Desert

What are hollow spaces formed in cliffs or rocks by erosion, usually by waves, called?

• Caves

• Valleys

• Dunes

• Plateaus

What is a piece of land that sticks out into the sea, often made of harder rock that resists erosion, called?

• Headland

• Bay

• Delta

• Isthmus

What is a curved, bridge-like rock formation formed when a cave is eroded all the way through a headland called?

• Arch

• Stack

• Spit

• Stump

What are mounds or ridges of sand built up by the wind, often found behind a beach, called?

• Dunes

• Cliffs

• Reefs

• Basins

What are steep rock faces or slopes found along coasts, formed by erosion, called?

• Cliffs

• Beaches

• Dunes

• Estuaries

What is the movement of sand and pebbles along the coast, caused by waves hitting the shore at an angle, called?

• Longshore drift

• Erosion

• Deposition

• Tidal bore

What is the movement of water up the beach after a wave breaks called?

• Swash

• Backwash

• Tide

• Current