
What is the process of erosion of a headland?
Erosion of a headland. A headland is an area of hard rock which sticks out into the sea. Headlands form in areas of alternating hard and soft rock. Where the soft rock erodes bays are formed either side of the headland. As the headland becomes more exposed to the wind and waves the rate of its erosion increases.
What landforms are formed by erosion and weathering?
Erosional and weathering processes combine to create a range of landforms. A headland is an area of hard rock which sticks out into the sea. Headlands form in areas of alternating hard and soft rock. Where the soft rock is eroded bays form either side of the headland.
How are headlands formed?
Headlands form in areas of alternating hard and soft rock. Where the soft rock is eroded bays form either side of the headland. As the headland becomes more exposed to the wind and waves the rate of its erosion increases.
Why are headlands more resistant to erosion?
Hard rock such as chalk is more resistant to the processes of erosion. When the softer rock is eroded inwards, the hard rock sticks out into the sea, forming a headland. Erosional features such as wave-cut platforms and cliffs can be found on headlands, since they are more open to the waves.

What type of erosion causes headlands?
differential erosionHeadlands and bays are created by differential erosion , where rocks along the coastline are formed in alternating bands of different rock types, eg sandstone and clay , which meet the coast at right angles.
What causes headland to form?
Headlands are formed when the sea attacks a section of coast with alternating bands of hard and soft rock. The bands of soft rock, such as sand and clay, erode more quickly than those of more resistant rock, such as chalk. This leaves a section of land jutting out into the sea called a headland.
What erosional process forms headlands and bays?
Headlands and Bays Alternating layers of hard and soft rock allow the sea to erode the soft rock faster, forming a bay but leaving hard rock sticking out, known as a headland. The altering rate of erosion of hard and soft rock is known as differential erosion.
Is headland a deposition or erosion?
Headlands are characterised by high, breaking waves, rocky shores, intense erosion, and steep sea cliff. Headlands and bays are often found on the same coastline. A bay is flanked by land on three sides, whereas a headland is flanked by water on three sides.
What are the forms of erosion?
Rainfall produces four types of soil erosion: splash erosion, sheet erosion, rill erosion, and gully erosion. Splash erosion describes the impact of a falling raindrop, which can scatter tiny soil particles as far as .
What landforms are created by erosion?
Landforms created by erosion include headlands and bays, caves, arches, stacks and stumps. Longshore drift is a method of coastal transport.
What is differential erosion in geography?
Erosion that occurs at irregular or varying rates, caused by the differences in the resistance and hardness of surface materials: softer and weaker rocks are rapidly worn away, whereas harder and more resistant rocks remain to form ridges, hills, or mountains.
What happens when a headland erodes?
When headlands erode they create distinct features such as caves, arches, stacks and stumps. The diagram below shows the sequence in the erosion of a headland. Waves attack a weakness in the headland. A cave is formed.
What are the landforms associated with coastal erosion?
Landforms of coastal erosion include cliffs, wave-cut platforms, caves, arches, stacks, stumps, and headlands, amongst others.
What is a headland called?
countable noun. A headland is a narrow piece of land which sticks out from the coast into the sea. Synonyms: promontory, point, head, cape More Synonyms of headland.
What type of waves would occur at the headland?
Headlands, once formed, are exposed to the full force of the sea. As a result of wave refraction, destructive waves concentrate their energy on all three sides of the headland and so it slowly erodes overtime.
How does erosion change a headland over time?
Headlands form in areas of alternating hard and soft rock. Where the soft rock is eroded bays form either side of the headland. As the headland becomes more exposed to the wind and waves, the rate of erosion increases. When headlands erode, they create distinct features such as caves, arches, stacks and stumps.
What are the characteristics of headlands?
Headlands are characterized by intense erosion, steep sea cliffs, rocky shores and high breaking waves. Bay has less wind activity and less wave activity than the regions with water outside the bay.
What is an example of headland?
An example of a headland is a cliff over a sea. An example of a headland is the land surrounding a farm. A point of land, usually high and with a sheer drop, extending out into a body of water; a promontory.
What are three 3 factors that influence the rate of erosion on a coastline?
This simple diagram shows the factors that can affect coastal cliff erosion, including sea level rise, wave energy, coastal slope, beach width, beach height, and rock strength.
What type of rock is usually found at a headland?
Headlands are formed from hard rock, that is more resistant to erosion, such as limestone, chalk and granite. Headlands form along discordant coastlines where bands of soft and hard rock outcrop at a right angle to the coastline (see image below).
How do rocks form?
A number of stages are involved: 1 All rocks have lines of weakness; the sea and its waves use hydraulic action, abrasion and solution to erode along any lines of weakness. 2 These lines of weakness get enlarged and develop into small sea caves. 3 The caves are deepened and widened on both sides of the headland until eventually the sea cuts through the headland, forming an arch. 4 The rock at the top of the arch becomes unsupported as the arch is enlarged, eventually collapsing to form a stack. 5 The stack gets eroded until only a stump remains. 6 Over time the stump will disappear. 7 As the headland retreats under this erosion, the gently sloping land at the foot of the retreating cliff is called a wave-cut platform.
How do rocks develop lines of weakness?
All rocks have lines of weakness; the sea and its waves use hydraulic action, abrasion and solution to erode along any lines of weakness. These lines of weakness get enlarged and develop into small sea caves. The caves are deepened and widened on both sides of the headland until eventually the sea cuts through the headland, forming an arch.
What happens when an arch is enlarged?
The rock at the top of the arch becomes unsupported as the arch is enlarged, eventually collapsing to form a stack.
What are the landscapes of the coast?
Coastal landscapes form cliffs, caves and arches. Land uses at the coast like industry and recreation and tourism can be in conflict with each other and solutions must be adopted to deal with these.
What features form when headlands are eroded?
Cut out and arrange the photos of the headland erosion in the correct order.
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What causes material to move down the coast line?
Over time the Zig-Zag effect of the waves causes material to move down the coast line.
What causes the direction of waves?
The prevailing wind causes the direction of the waves.
What is discordant coastline?
Discordant coastlines form where geology alternates between bands of hard and soft rock (see image below). As soft rock, such as glacial till, is more susceptible to erosion it erodes more rapidly than more resistant rock such as chalk. This results in the formation of headlands and bays. Bays and headlands along a discordant coastline. ...
What causes a blow hole in a cave?
Occasionally, wave action and weathering erodes joints in the cave roof to form a blow hole. Where the cave erodes through the headland an arch is formed (see image below).
Why do cliffs retreat?
Cliffs are common features of coastal environments. Over time cliffs retreat due to a combination of sub-aerial weathering and coastal erosion. Wave action and weathering create a notch at the high water mark. An example of a wave-cut notch is shown in the video below. Wave cut notch at Flamborough.
What type of rock is used to protect the coast from erosion?
These types of coast are known as concordant coastlines. The outer hard rock (for example, granite) provides a protective barrier to erosion of the softer rocks (for example, clays) further inland.
How do wave cut platforms affect cliffs?
Wave cut platforms have a significant impact on the ability of waves to erode the base of the cliff. This is because the waves have further to travel in very shallow water as the platform grows. Waves tend to break earlier before they can erode the base of the cliff. The wave cut platform at Selwicks Bay, Flamborough.
What happens when a cliff collapses?
Over time the wave-cut notch will develop into a cave. Eventually, the weight of the unsupported cliff will cause it to collapse. As the cliff collapses a layer of flat rock is left behind called a wave cut platform.
What is a steep sided inlet formed by erosion?
Where erosion excavates enough material along joint or bedding plane , a steep-sided inlet may be formed called a geo.
How do bays and headlands differ?
A bay is flanked by land on three sides, whereas a headland is flanked by water on three sides. Headlands and bays form on discordant coastlines, where bands of rock of alternating resistance run perpendicular to the coast. Bays form when weak (less resistant) rocks (such as sands and clays) are eroded, leaving bands of stronger (more resistant) ...
What is a headland of considerable size called?
A headland of considerable size often is called a cape. Headlands are characterised by high, breaking waves, rocky shores, intense erosion, and steep sea cliff . Headlands and bays are often found on the same coastline. A bay is flanked by land on three sides, whereas a headland is flanked by water on three sides.
What is a headland?
A headland, also known as a head, is a coastal landform, a point of land usually high and often with a sheer drop, that extends into a body of water. It is a type of promontory. A headland of considerable size often is called a cape. Headlands are characterised by high, breaking waves, rocky shores, ...
How do bays form?
Bays form when weak (less resistant) rocks (such as sands and clays) are eroded, leaving bands of stronger (more resistant) rocks (such as chalk, limestone, granite) forming a headland, or peninsula.
What is splash erosion?
Splash erosion starts with a fall of rain, which might be why it’s sometimes called raindrop erosion. As Oklahoma State University explains, this type of erosion occurs when a raindrop hits the soil and dislodges particles of soil, splashing them up and away. Once freed, these particles are more vulnerable to being swept away by other forces.
What happens if rills aren't tended to?
If rills aren’t tended to, the erosion will continue. Eventually, the narrow strips of land separating the multitude of rills will be swept away, leaving one larger scar behind. Once again, the erosion has evolved to a new stage. A gully is a channel that is too deep to be eradicated with normal tillage methods.
How does no-till soil help?
Leaving the soil undisturbed helps it hold onto greater quantities of vital nutrients like nitrogen. It can also decrease both erosion and runoff, which boosts water quality and crop productivity.
How to keep soil anchored?
Build soil organic matter. Soil organic matter helps to keep soil anchored. Increasing the amount in the mix can not only reduce erosion but also improve water-holding capacity.
What is it called when water moves through the soil?
If rainwater begins to move the soil that’s been loosened by splash erosion, the erosion of the soil progresses to a new stage. It’s now called sheet erosion. A heavy rain or runoff that crosses a shallow surface can allow enough water to gather to pull the loosened soil particles from surfaces and sweep them away.
How deep are gullies in Oklahoma?
Gully erosion can carve fierce scars across fields. As Oklahoma State University indicates, some gullies reach depths of 20 feet. These features can create real hazards for livestock and farmers. If awkwardly located, they may make sections of fields inefficient to farm or outright unusable.
How deep are rills?
This form of erosion leaves the ground marked with parallel lines of small, clear-cut channels. The rills are generally no more than 30 cm deep, according to Safeopedia.
What are erosional landforms?
Erosional landforms include headlands, bays, caves, arches, stacks, stumps and wave-cut platforms. There are also depositional landforms such as beaches, spits and bars.
How are cliffs shaped?
Cliffs are shaped through erosion and weathering. Soft rock erodes quickly and forms gentle sloping cliffs, whereas hard rock is more resistant and forms steep cliffs. A wave-cut platform is a wide gently-sloping surface found at the foot of a cliff.
What are the features of headlands?
Erosional features such as wave-cut platforms and cliffs can be found on headlands, since they are more open to the waves. Bays are more sheltered with constructive waves which deposit sediment to form a beach.
How are cracks widened in the headland?
Cracks are widened in the headland through the erosional processes of hydraulic action and abrasion.
How are wave cut platforms formed?
A wave-cut platform is formed when the following occurs: The sea attacks the base of the cliff between the high and low water mark. A wave-cut notch is formed by erosional processes such as abrasion and hydraulic action - this is a dent in the cliff usually at the level of high tide.
What is a bay in the sea?
A bay is an inlet of the sea where the land curves inwards, usually with a beach. Hard rock such as chalk is more resistant to the processes of erosion. When the softer rock is eroded inwards, the hard rock sticks out into the sea, forming a headland.
What happens when a notch increases in size?
As the notch increases in size, the cliff becomes unstable and collapses, leading to the retreat of the cliff face.
