Ocean 10                                                                                        West Valley College

R. Lopez                                                                                                                         Fall 2002

Study Questions:

 Coasts, Beaches, Deltas, Barrier Islands

 

1)       What is eustatic change?

2)       What are two causes of sea level fluctuation on a Global scale?

3)       Coasts are classified based their history since sea level stabilized after the Great Ice Age.  What are the two classifications?  Define both.

4)       Primary coasts glacial valleys and river valleys.  What are drowned valleys?

5)       What is a delta? 

6)       Name and sketch the three types. Give examples of each.

7)       What is a birdfoot (stream dominated) delta?

8)       What is a prograding delta?

9)       What are moraines?

10)    The Hawaiian Islands are characterized by what kind of coast?

11)    What are marine terraces?

12)    Secondary coasts are those that have been modified by marine processes.  What are headlands, sea cliffs, sea stacks, sea arches, tombolos, and wave cut platforms?

13)    What is wave refraction.

14)    How does wave refraction preferentially erode headlands, and how does wave refraction contribute to the formation of sea arches?

15)    What is the physical definition of a beach?

16)    What is the longshore current? What is the longshore Drift?

17)    Be able to label the different parts of a beach (berm, backshore, beach scarp, offshore bars, sea cliff) on a diagram like in lecture.

18)    What is the beach system?

19)    Be able to recognize a “summer” beach and “winter” beach.

20)    What are sand spits and how do they form?

21)    How does a baymouth bar form?

22)    What are barrier islands?  Where are the lagoons in this setting?