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Coastal Landscapes

Lithology and structural geology at the coast

  • 2 things to know
  • AS Unit 1

Overview

How mineral composition affects the rate of cliff retreat, structural geology in a coastal context and dip of a rock stratum.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

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Key term

Define lithology.

Key term

Why does granite form more resistant coastal cliffs than clay?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    Define lithology.

    Model answer

    Lithology is the physical and chemical character of a rock, including its mineral composition, hardness and how soluble it is.

  2. 2

    Why does granite form more resistant coastal cliffs than clay?

    Model answer

    Granite is crystalline, hard and has few open joints, whereas clay is soft, unconsolidated and slumps readily once wetted.

  3. 3

    Which coastal rock is most vulnerable to solution, and why?

    Model answer

    Limestone, because its calcium carbonate reacts with the weak carbonic acid in rainwater and seawater and is dissolved away.

  4. 4

    Explain how mineral composition affects the rate of cliff retreat.

    Model answer

    Rocks whose minerals resist chemical attack and bind tightly together lose material slowly, while rocks with soluble or easily weathered minerals break down and retreat quickly.

  5. 5

    Define structural geology in a coastal context.

    Model answer

    Structural geology is the arrangement of the rock, including its bedding, the direction and angle of dip, its joints, and any folding or faulting.

  6. 6

    What is the dip of a rock stratum?

    Model answer

    The dip is the angle at which a bed of rock is inclined from the horizontal, together with the direction of that inclination.

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