Lesson 3:

Headland & Bays

What you should know by the end of this lesson:

How a headland and Bay form

Background

Headlands and bays are one of the most easily recognisable coastal features. Offering

the stunning beach locations to many Hollywood Movies.

Headlands and bays form all around the world, where bands of hard rock and soft rock are found beside each other along a coastline.

Headland & Bay

REMEMBER!

When answering these as a full Higher Question you need to explain the processes which are involved in these formations. A well-explained process can gain you 2 marks, 1 mark for naming the process and 1 mark for explaining the process, but you need to have both to gain both marks.

The same goes for every process term you say

These features are straight forward and your task is simply to try and understand the processes which explain how they form

Digital Workbook and Paper Jotter

Copy the diagram into your jotter
Write the full explanation to your notes below your diagram

Diagram

Explanation

A headland is an area of land that juts out into sea (1) and a bay is a sheltered area of softer rock between headlands (1). Headlands form in discordant coastlines with alternate bands of hard rock and soft rock at right angles to the coastline (perpendicular)(1).

Hard resistant rocks are more difficult to erode than softer rock, the soft rock erodes faster than the hard rock this is known as differential erosion (1). Harder rock (e.g. granite) forms the headlands and softer rock (e.g. clay) is eroded back to form the bays. (1)

The softer rock is eroded faster by abrasion(1), rock fragments carried by the waves are thrown against the cliffs in a sandblasting action wearing away rock(1) and hydraulic action (1) the power of the waves forcing air into cracks, compressing it creating an explosive blast which weakens and loosens rock fragments (1).

The further back a bay is eroded the less erosion occurs as the headlands protect bays from the waves and reduce erosion. Constructive waves build beaches in the sheltered bays (1).