KS3 coastal scenery - landscape vistas by the sea

Geography Quiz - Coastal Scenery 01 (Questions)

Waves constantly reshape coastlines, carving cliffs, beaches and arches. Explore how rock type, weather and sea power create dramatic coastal scenery around the United Kingdom.

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Fascinating Fact:

Erosion is strongest along parts of the east and south coasts, where younger, softer rocks are more easily attacked by waves.

In KS3 Geography, coastal scenery helps pupils understand how the sea shapes landforms. They study how rock type, wave power and weather work together to create and change cliffs, bays and beaches.

Key Terms

Coastal erosion: The wearing away of rocks and land along the coast by waves, wind and moving sediment.
Headland: A piece of high land that sticks out into the sea, often made of harder rock.
Bay: A curved area of coast where the sea pushes into the land, usually between two headlands.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

What is coastal erosion in KS3 Geography?

In KS3 Geography, coastal erosion means the gradual wearing away of cliffs and beaches by waves, wind and moving material, which changes the shape of the coastline over time.

Why do some cliffs erode faster than others?

Some cliffs erode faster because they are made of softer, younger rocks that are easily broken down by waves, rain and wind, while harder rocks resist erosion for longer.

How does wave power affect coastal scenery?

Stronger, high-energy waves can erode rocks quickly, cutting caves, arches and stacks, while gentler waves are more likely to build up beaches with sand and shingle.

Try These Related Quizzes

What has shaped our coastlines the most?

[ ]	Animals
[ ]	Erosion
[ ]	Human activity
[ ]	The Sun

A common coastal feature is a wave-cut what?

[ ]	Bench
[ ]	Incline
[ ]	Plateau
[ ]	Platform

Why are sand spits formed where the coastline bends?

[ ]	Rivers always enter the sea at a bend
[ ]	Longshore drift
[ ]	The wind blows more strongly
[ ]	There are more sand dunes there

Erosion of rock by the force of moving water is called what?

[ ]	Abrasion
[ ]	Attrition
[ ]	Corrosion
[ ]	Hydraulic action

Waves cutting through a headland would form what?

[ ]	A beach
[ ]	An arch
[ ]	Cliffs
[ ]	Dunes

Which best describes the rocks along England's East coast?

[ ]	Old and hard
[ ]	Pink in colour
[ ]	Volcanic
[ ]	Young and soft

A pillar of rock surrounded by sea has what name?

[ ]	Headland
[ ]	Pylon
[ ]	Stack
[ ]	Wave-cut platform

What process transports material along a coast?

[ ]	Beach accumulation
[ ]	Creep
[ ]	Longshore drift
[ ]	Mass movement

The greatest cliff collapses occur in what weather?

[ ]	Gentle breeze
[ ]	Heatwave
[ ]	Snow
[ ]	Storm

10.

Where would you expect to find a notch?

[ ]	Foot of a cliff
[ ]	Middle of a beach
[ ]	On a cliff top
[ ]	On the seabed

Geography Quiz - Coastal Scenery 01 (Answers)

What has shaped our coastlines the most?

[ ]	Animals
[x]	Erosion
[ ]	Human activity
[ ]	The Sun

There are some places where deposition has shaped our coastlines - for example, spits are formed by deposition rather than erosion

A common coastal feature is a wave-cut what?

[ ]	Bench
[ ]	Incline
[ ]	Plateau
[x]	Platform

Wave cut platforms that were formed during the Ice Ages can now be found high above some present day beaches - but can you find out why?

Why are sand spits formed where the coastline bends?

[ ]	Rivers always enter the sea at a bend
[x]	Longshore drift
[ ]	The wind blows more strongly
[ ]	There are more sand dunes there

Where the coastline suddenly changes direction, the currents of longshore drift carry on in the same direction, depositing their sediments in a line that is more or less parallel to the original direction of the coastline

Erosion of rock by the force of moving water is called what?

[ ]	Abrasion
[ ]	Attrition
[ ]	Corrosion
[x]	Hydraulic action

Water is a very powerful erosional force

Waves cutting through a headland would form what?

[ ]	A beach
[x]	An arch
[ ]	Cliffs
[ ]	Dunes

Durdle Door in Dorset is a great example of an arch!

Which best describes the rocks along England's East coast?

[ ]	Old and hard
[ ]	Pink in colour
[ ]	Volcanic
[x]	Young and soft

The hardest and oldest rocks in Britain are found in the north and west

A pillar of rock surrounded by sea has what name?

[ ]	Headland
[ ]	Pylon
[x]	Stack
[ ]	Wave-cut platform

A stack may be worn down further or even collapse to form a stump

What process transports material along a coast?

[ ]	Beach accumulation
[ ]	Creep
[x]	Longshore drift
[ ]	Mass movement

This is caused where the prevailing wind blows at an angle to the coastline. Waves are blown in at an angle and the swash and backwash are in different directions, so the sand, pebbles etc are gradually moved along the coast