Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
Factors affecting erosion - Coggle Diagram
Factors affecting erosion
Fetch and Wind
Size of wind depends on the fetch
The fetch is the distance the wave travels
Wind has a significant effect on the size of the wave - the stronger the wind the larger the waves
Geology/ Lithology
Different rocks are more subject to erosion
Coasts made up of basalt and granite are more resistant to erosion than shale and chalk
Type of coastline affects erosion
discordant coastlines will erode more due to headlands and bays
Concordant coastline has same type of rock along its length
Beach size
Narrow beaches do not provide a lot of protection for the cliffs
Broad beaches provide more protection - waves will break earlier therefore they will not be as powerful
Depth of Sea Floor
Deeper sea floor means less friction - don't break as much meaning they are more powerful
Shallow sea floor causes increase in friction - causes wave to lose power so won't cause as much erosion
Weather Systems
Depressions are areas of low atmospheric pressure - produce cloudy, rainy, and windy weather
The wind causes an increase in wave strength and therefore more erosion
Wave Type
Destructive waves are caused in storm conditions - big, strong waves when and the wind is powerful
Wave energy is high and the wave has travelled over a long fetch
Tend to erode the coast
Constructive - created in calm weather conditions and are less powerful than destructive waves
They break on the shore deposit material, building up beaches
Tides
When the earth, the moon and the sun are aligned the gravitational pull is at its greatest - creates a spring tide
Spring tide results in a high high tide and a low low tide Creates a high tidal range and results in stronger tidal currents that normal
When the sun and the moon are at a right angle to the earth, we experience Neap tides