A* Grade A-Level AQA Geography Detailed Revision
Questions Coasts Module With Correct Answers
Fetch - Correct Answer--Distance over which the wind blew.
Wave break ratio - Correct Answer--The ratio of the wave height to the wave
length cannot be more than 1:7 as this is when a wave breaks.
Swash - Correct Answer--When a wave breaks, water is washed up the beach
and can deposit sediment.
Backwash - Correct Answer--Water runs back down the beach and is capable
of removing sediment from a beach.
Constructive Waves - Correct Answer--Add sediment to the shallow gradient
beach and have high swash and low backwash. Longer wavelength, lower
height, low wave frequency, and elliptical orbit.
Destructive Waves - Correct Answer--Take sediment from the steep beach
and have high backwash and low swash. Shorter wavelength, higher height,
more frequent wave frequency, and circular orbit.
Sediment Cell - Correct Answer--A length of coastline, which is relatively self-
contained as far as the movement of sand or shingle is concerned, and
where interruption to such movement should not have a significant effect on
adjacent ones.
Tides - Correct Answer--Regular rising and falling movements of the surface
of the sea and caused by the effects of the gravitational pull of the moon and
sun on the oceans.
Spring Tides - Correct Answer--Sun, moon and earth all in one straight line --
> highest high tides and lowest low tides = largest tidal range.
, Neap Tides - Correct Answer--Sun and moon 90 degrees out of phase -->
highest low tides and lowest low tides = smallest tidal range.
Biological Weathering - Correct Answer--Weathering from organic agents, e.g.
marine animals (secrete acids/clams burrow), land animals (such as rabbits
burrowing), birds., plant roots.
Chemical Weathering - Correct Answer--Oxidation, carbonation, solution, acid
rain.
Mass Movement - Correct Answer--Gravity causing downhill movement of
material. E.g. Soil creep, mudflows, landslide, rockfall, landslip/slump, runoff,
solifluction.
Marine Erosion causes - Correct Answer--- Waves (Waves that break at the
foot of the cliff cause the most erosion)
- Beaches (sandy beaches have lower gradient than shingle beaches)
- Geology (types of rocks and structures of the rocks)
- Human Activity (defences)
Revetments - Correct Answer--Concrete or wooden barriers ('walls') at angles
placed along the beach to take the full force of wave energy.
Rock Armour or Rip-Rap - Correct Answer--Large boulders dumped in front of
a cliff or sea wall to take the full force of the waves. Gabions work on sort of
the same way but in metal cages.
Cliff Fixing - Correct Answer--Driving iron bars into cliff face to stabilise it and
absorb some wave power, sometimes metal mesh netting.
Questions Coasts Module With Correct Answers
Fetch - Correct Answer--Distance over which the wind blew.
Wave break ratio - Correct Answer--The ratio of the wave height to the wave
length cannot be more than 1:7 as this is when a wave breaks.
Swash - Correct Answer--When a wave breaks, water is washed up the beach
and can deposit sediment.
Backwash - Correct Answer--Water runs back down the beach and is capable
of removing sediment from a beach.
Constructive Waves - Correct Answer--Add sediment to the shallow gradient
beach and have high swash and low backwash. Longer wavelength, lower
height, low wave frequency, and elliptical orbit.
Destructive Waves - Correct Answer--Take sediment from the steep beach
and have high backwash and low swash. Shorter wavelength, higher height,
more frequent wave frequency, and circular orbit.
Sediment Cell - Correct Answer--A length of coastline, which is relatively self-
contained as far as the movement of sand or shingle is concerned, and
where interruption to such movement should not have a significant effect on
adjacent ones.
Tides - Correct Answer--Regular rising and falling movements of the surface
of the sea and caused by the effects of the gravitational pull of the moon and
sun on the oceans.
Spring Tides - Correct Answer--Sun, moon and earth all in one straight line --
> highest high tides and lowest low tides = largest tidal range.
, Neap Tides - Correct Answer--Sun and moon 90 degrees out of phase -->
highest low tides and lowest low tides = smallest tidal range.
Biological Weathering - Correct Answer--Weathering from organic agents, e.g.
marine animals (secrete acids/clams burrow), land animals (such as rabbits
burrowing), birds., plant roots.
Chemical Weathering - Correct Answer--Oxidation, carbonation, solution, acid
rain.
Mass Movement - Correct Answer--Gravity causing downhill movement of
material. E.g. Soil creep, mudflows, landslide, rockfall, landslip/slump, runoff,
solifluction.
Marine Erosion causes - Correct Answer--- Waves (Waves that break at the
foot of the cliff cause the most erosion)
- Beaches (sandy beaches have lower gradient than shingle beaches)
- Geology (types of rocks and structures of the rocks)
- Human Activity (defences)
Revetments - Correct Answer--Concrete or wooden barriers ('walls') at angles
placed along the beach to take the full force of wave energy.
Rock Armour or Rip-Rap - Correct Answer--Large boulders dumped in front of
a cliff or sea wall to take the full force of the waves. Gabions work on sort of
the same way but in metal cages.
Cliff Fixing - Correct Answer--Driving iron bars into cliff face to stabilise it and
absorb some wave power, sometimes metal mesh netting.
