Cross-curricular extension unit 4

Natural science: Marine erosion

1 Label the picture with the words in the box.
arch

bar bay beach cave cliff headland pebbles rocks sand stack waves

2 _______________
1 _______________

3 _______________

4 _______________

7 _______________
6 _______________

5 _______________

8 _______________
12 ______________
9 _______________

10 _______________
11 _______________

2 Match 17 with ag to make sentences.

1 The coastline

a is when the sea attacks the coast and cuts into it.

2 Erosion

b is where the sea meets the coast.

3 Deposition

c are the lines and holes you can see in rocks.

4 Soft rocks

d are easy for the sea to cut into.

5 Hard rocks

e is a section of rock which is the same type of rock.

6 Cracks

7 A band of rock

g are difficult for the sea to cut into.

is when the sea drops the material (e.g. sand) it is carrying.

 PHOTOCOPIABLE OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS

3 Read Parts 1 and 2 of the text on the right and

answer the questions.
1 Which type of wave causes erosion?
________________
2 Which type of wave causes deposition?
________________
4 Read the text again. Then answer the questions.
1 What things cause mountains to change?
________________, ________________ and
________________
2 What do destructive waves carry?
________________ and ________________
3 What happens to the materials produced by the
destructive waves?
__________________________________________
4 Do constructive waves carry material a long
way? ________________
5 What do constructive waves help to make?
________________ and ________________
6 Which type of rock erodes faster, soft or hard
rock? ________________
7 Where do you often find headlands or bays?
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
5 Read Part 3 of the text. Then put the pictures a
e in the correct order.

Changing landscapes
Part 1: Erosion and deposition
We think of a mountain as something that never
changes. And yet it is constantly changing. The
wind, the cold and water are cutting and shaping it
every day. All around us the land is slowly
changing. Erosion is cutting away the land in one
place but deposition is building new land in a
different place.
The process of marine erosion and deposition
happens because of the action of the sea on
rocks. Destructive waves are strong waves that
attack the coast. They cause erosion and they
transport material. The waves throw sand and
pebbles at the cliffs. This breaks up the land into
more rocks, pebbles and sand. Then the sea
carries this material away. Constructive waves are
weaker and cant carry the material far. They
deposit the material in a different place. In this
way bars and beaches are formed.

Part 2: Headlands and bays

Bands of soft rock erode more quickly than bands
of hard rock. This leaves sections of land going
out into the sea. When there are bands of hard
rock and soft rock, we often find headlands and
bays.

Part 3: Caves, arches and stacks

When the sea attacks the side of the headland,
cracks appear in the cliff. The cracks get bigger
and make a cave. When the cave goes through
the headland, we have an arch. When the top of
the arch falls, we have a stack.

6 Find information about the coastline around

your country. Use the internet or the library to
help you. Then write about the coastline.
Answer questions 13.

1 Where can you find a famous example of: an

arch, a stack, a bay, a headland, a cave, cliffs?
2 What are they called?
e
d

3 When you go to the beach, do you see any of

these geographical features?

 PHOTOCOPIABLE OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS