What is the process of mass movement in coastal environments?

Another way material can be moved on the coastline is through mass movement . Mass movement is the downhill movement of sediment that moves because of gravity. There are four different types of mass movement: Rockfall. Bits of rock fall off the cliff face, usually due to freeze-thaw weathering.

What is weathering and mass movement in geography?

Weathering is the physical disintegration or chemical alteration of rocks at or near the Earth‟s surface. Mass wasting is the transfer or movement of rock or soil down slope primarily by gravity.

How does weathering affect mass movement?

The broken rock fragments (as a result of weathering) move down the slope through mass movements . These can be rapid, such as landslides or slow as with soil creep: They can occur after periods of heavy rain, when the water saturates overlying rock, making it heavy and liable to slide.

How does mass movement affect coastal landscape?

Damp soil moves very slowly down the slope as the weight of water pushes it forwards. Rain splash may release soil grains that fall further downslope. Landslides arise when rocks and unconsolidated material on the cliff face are saturated with water (rain or wave-splash). Eventually the material slips down the slope.

How does weathering create coastal landforms?

Cliffs and wave-cut platforms 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. The backwash carries away the eroded material, leaving a wave-cut platform. The process repeats.

How does mass movement affect coastal landscapes?

Mass movement – Once weakened by weathering mass movement can then deliver this material to beaches and the sea to be eroded. Some mass movement processes occur slowly, such as soil creep and solifluction, but some are very rapid such as rock falls.

What is mass movement in rivers?

Mass movement is the down-slope movement of material under gravity. Slides and slumps are examples of mass movement that can occur in river landscapes. A mass movement can contribute additional material to a river’s load, increasing erosion along the course of the river and deposition in the lower stages.

What causes mass movement in geography?

mass movement, also called Mass Wasting, bulk movements of soil and rock debris down slopes in response to the pull of gravity, or the rapid or gradual sinking of the Earth’s ground surface in a predominantly vertical direction.

How does wind affect coastal landscapes?

The primary cause of erosion along a coastline is by wave action. Waves are formed by the wind blowing across the surface of the water. They cause erosion, primarily by abrasion, whereby material is thrown at cliff faces and wears it away. The primary cause of deposition is also to do with the wave action.

What landforms are created by mass movement?

The angular blockfall debris accumulates at the cliff foot to form a talus scree slope, a fan shaped mound of material. Undercutting of cliffs by the creation of wave-cut notches can lead to large falls and talus scree slopes at their base.

Why are weathering erosion and mass wasting important to the rock cycle?

These processes are all very important to the rock cycle because over geologic time weathering, erosion, and mass wasting transform solid rock into sediments and soil that result in the redeposition of material forming new sedimentary rocks. Table of Contents Standard: 3-3.8 Standard: 5-3.1 Types of Weathering

What is mass movement of cliffs?

Mass Movement is the downhill movement of cliff material under the influence of gravity. There is a range of different types of mass movement. These are explored below. Cliffs formed from boulder clay, material deposited by glacial periods, are susceptible to high rates of coastal erosion.

What causes mechanical weathering of rocks?

The presence of organisms growing, expanding, or moving across the surface of the rock also exerts a small amount of abrasion and pressure that gradually cause the mechanical weathering of the rock as the organisms extract various minerals. Photo: SCGS

Which of the following is an example of mechanical weathering?

I. Mechanical (physical) weathering is the physical disintegration and reduction in the size of the rocks without changing their chemical composition. Examples: exfoliation, frost wedging, salt wedging, temperature changes, and abrasion II.