Physical Landscapes in the UKTopic Summary
Topic Summary: Coastal Processes and Landforms
Part of Coastal Processes and Landforms — GCSE Geography
This topic summary covers Topic Summary: Coastal Processes and Landforms within Coastal Processes and Landforms for GCSE Geography. Revise Coastal Processes and Landforms in Physical Landscapes in the UK for GCSE Geography with 15 exam-style questions and 22 flashcards. This topic shows up very often in GCSE exams, so students should be able to explain it clearly, not just recognise the term. It is section 14 of 14 in this topic. Use this topic summary to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
Topic position
Section 14 of 14
Practice
15 questions
Recall
22 flashcards
Topic Summary: Coastal Processes and Landforms
Key Terms
- Fetch — distance of open water; determines wave energy
- Constructive wave — strong swash; builds beaches (6–8/min)
- Destructive wave — strong backwash; erodes coasts (10–14/min)
- Longshore drift — zigzag sediment movement along coast
- Wave-cut notch — groove at cliff base; precedes collapse
- Spit — ridge extending from coast change; curved tip = wave refraction
- Sediment budget — balance of sediment supply; management upstream affects coast downstream
Erosion Processes (HASA)
- Hydraulic action — air compression in cracks; pressure release fractures rock
- Abrasion — sediment as sandpaper; grinds cliff base and wave-cut platform
- Solution — acid seawater dissolves limestone and chalk
- Attrition — sediment particles round each other in transport (NOT cliff erosion)
Holderness Coast Key Facts
- East Yorkshire; 60 km from Flamborough Head to Spurn Head
- Fastest-eroding coast in Europe: average 1.7 m/year
- Cliffs: soft boulder clay — glacial deposit; no internal structure
- No beach — longshore drift removes sediment southward (~500,000 t/year)
- North Sea fetch: up to 700 km; high-energy destructive waves
- Mappleton protected (1991, £2 million rock armour + groynes)
- Consequence: increased erosion south of Mappleton — sediment budget disrupted
- 30+ villages lost since Roman times; Spurn Head spit fed by eroded material
Landform Formation Summary
- Wave-cut platform: notch → overhang → collapse → platform; widens as cliff retreats
- Headland and bay: differential erosion; hard rock remains; soft rock eroded back
- Cave → arch → stack → stump: hydraulic action exploits joint → breaks through → roof collapses → pillar → low platform
- Spit: longshore drift past coast direction change → deposition in open water → curved tip from wave refraction
- Bar: spit extending across a bay; encloses a lagoon
- Tombolo: deposition connecting mainland to island (e.g. Chesil Beach/Portland)