Why has Britain Changed shape?

Coasts
The coast is where the land meets the
sea.
The land constantly changes shape due
to Weathering and Erosion.

What shapes our coastline?

Weathering
MUST be able to identify
different types of weathering
SHOULD be able to describe
different types of weathering
COULD explain how weathering
affects and shapes the coastline

 Weathering breaks up the rocks

Erosion wears them away.

Weathering
There are three types of weathering. They are
physical, chemical and biological weathering.

heat, cold, rainfall and living plants break up

the earths surface.

Physical Weathering
COLD

Freeze Thaw

Weathering freeze-thaw
You may have heard of the saying, hard as rocks.
Most rocks are hard, but despite this they can be broken by just a small
amount of water getting into cracks in the rock.

This is because water freezes as it expands.

This creates powerful forces that can enlarge the cracks.
As this freezethaw process is repeated and cracks
spread through the rock. Eventually small pieces of rock
(called scree) break off altogether.
scree

Freeze-thaw

Exfoliation or onion-skin weathering

Exfoliation or onion-skin weathering

During the day the

sun heats up the
surface of the
rock, causing the
rock to expand.

During the night the As the rock expands

rock cools down and and contracts over
contracts.
and over again,
small pieces of
surface rock begin
to flake and fall off.
Onion-skin weathering is a form of physical weathering.

Chemical Weathering

ACID
RAIN

Weathering chemicals
There are also acids in the rain that can
chemically eat away at rocks especially rocks
consisting of metal carbonates (such as chalk,
limestone and marble).

Firstly, there is carbon dioxide gas which dissolves in rain to

form weak carbonic acid. This very slowly eats away at
certain rocks.
Secondly, there are nitrogen and sulphur oxides which produce much more
acidic rain that can rapidly chemically dissolve the rocks.

Biological
Weathering

Plants
and
Animals

Biological weathering

Biological weathering
Plant roots can get into tiny cracks and can
physically open them up further. In addition,
decaying plant roots also produce acid which can
chemically eat away at the rock.

Similarly lichens produce acids which weather the rocks

upon which the lichens are growing.

plant roots can

cause cracks in
rocks

What type of weathering is biological weathering?

Your Task

Title: _____________ Weathering

P1

B1

P3

C1

P2

B2

B3

C3

C2

Task
Write paragraphs to describe each type of
weathering
Physical
Chemical
Biological

Extension
Write a paragraph to explain how you
think the processes of weathering might
affect coastlines

What shapes our coastline?

Weathering
MUST be able to identify
different types of weathering
SHOULD be able to describe
different types of weathering
COULD explain how weathering
affects and shapes the coastline

Can you explain

Colin forgot to chill the wine so he put
it in the freezer to quickly make it cold
but then forgot it was there!
Next time he went to the freezer he
found it totally shattered.
Explain what has happened.

The water expanded as it

froze, creating huge forces.
These shattered the glass
bottle.

Water gets in crack

Water freezes and

expands

Crack is opened up

Rock heated by sun

and expands

Rock cools down

and contracts

Rock weakened

Surface layers of
rock peel off

Rock falls to pieces

Animals dig under

rocks and into cracks

Rocks undercut and

cracks widened

Rocks loosened
and fall apart

Rocks collapse and

fall apart

Rainwater contains
weak acid

Acid attacks rocks

Rock dissolved
or weakened

Rock worn away

or broken up