Swanage Bay discordant coastline model with Barry and Ben The Geography Men

Summary

In this video, Barry and Ben, the Geography Men, demonstrate how to create a model of a discordant coastline. They use a tray, clay, sand, and water to represent hard and soft rock formations. Through the process of adding waves and tipping the tray, they simulate coastal erosion, showing how the softer rock erodes to form bays, while the harder rock forms headlands. The video provides an engaging and hands-on approach to understanding the formation of a discordant coastline, with a visual demonstration of how natural coastal features develop.

Takeaways

• 😀 A discordant coastline is formed by alternating bands of hard and soft rock.
• 😀 Hard rock is represented by sausages of clay placed in the tray.
• 😀 Soft rock is represented by sand, placed between the clay sausages.
• 😀 The hard and soft rock bands meet the coastline at a 90-degree angle.
• 😀 Once the setup is complete, water is added to simulate the sea.
• 😀 Tilting the tray creates waves that erode the coastline, starting to form a wave cut notch at the base of the soft rock.
• 😀 Erosion of the soft rock leads to slumping or falling, creating beaches and bays.
• 😀 Powerful waves can speed up the erosion process and contribute to longshore drift.
• 😀 The erosion of soft rock forms bays, while the harder rock creates headlands.
• 😀 Over time, the process results in a series of dramatic headlands and bays along the coastline.
• 😀 This process illustrates the formation of a discordant coastline, where hard and soft rock erode at different rates.

Q & A

What is the topic of the video?

The video is about creating a model of a discordant coastline using basic materials like clay, sand, and water.

What materials are needed to create the model of a discordant coastline?

The materials needed are a white tray, a bucket of clay, a bucket of sand, and some water.

What do the sausages of clay represent in the model?

The sausages of clay represent bands of hard rock that stretch out towards the sea in the model.

Why is it important for the clay and sand to have equal height, width, and length in the model?

It's important to make the clay and sand equal in height, width, and length to accurately represent the alternating bands of hard and soft rock in a discordant coastline.

What does the sand represent in the model?

The sand represents the soft rock in the discordant coastline model.

What process is demonstrated by tipping the tray up and down in the model?

Tipping the tray up and down demonstrates the creation of waves, which erode the soft rock and create wave-cut notches and a beach.

What is a wave-cut notch?

A wave-cut notch is a feature formed at the base of the coastline when waves erode the softer rock, creating a depression in the rock face.

How does the erosion process contribute to the formation of bays and headlands?

The waves erode the softer rock (sand) to create bays, while the harder rock (clay) resists erosion, forming headlands sticking out from the coastline.

What is the role of longshore drift in this model?

Longshore drift helps remove some of the sand from the base of the cliffs, contributing to the formation of the beach and influencing coastal erosion.

What is the result of continuous wave erosion in the model?

The result of continuous wave erosion is the development of a discordant coastline, characterized by a series of headlands and bays formed by the differential erosion of hard and soft rock.