Marine Biology Turtles Sand Beach Formation
Rainbow Beach
72 different colors that can be spotted thanks to nearby multicolored sand cliffs
deposition
A Barrier spit is this type of landform that develops when transported sand or gravel in a barrier beach or island is laid down in long ridges that are attached at one end to the mainland and partially cross the mouth of a bay.
scutes
A bony external plate or scale, as on the shell of a turtle or skin; individual squares on a turtles back
abrasion
A mechanical weathering process in which rocks are grinded away into smaller rocks without a change to the chemical composition of the rock.
scarp
A nearly vertical seaward facing sandy cliff within a beach profile, often associated with eroding coastlines that can reach heights of 6-10ft.
headland
A part of the shore that sticks out into the ocean
tombolo
A ridge of sand that connects an island to the mainland or to another island
Inorganic mineral sands
Abiogenic sands
wave-built terrace
An extension to a wave-cut terrace formed by erosional material deposited offshore
Bay barrier
An extensive barrier spit of sand or gravel that encloses a bay, cutting it off completely from the ocean and forming a lagoon; produced by littoral drift and wave action; sometimes referred to as a baymouth bar.
younger
Are rough, irregular particles more likely to be younger or older than rounded, smooth ones?
Man-made substances
Beach glas or plastics may be broken down and rounded by waves and become part of the abiogenic sand
Bubbles
Biogenetic material does this when it comes in contact with acids because it contains Calcium carbonate (CaCO3).
plastron
Bottom of turtle - The ventral (bottom) part of a turtle's shell
Pink Sandy Beaches
Broken coral pieces, shells, and calcium carbonate minerals (Bahamas; shells of creature that live in coral reefs that surround the beach).
Bubbles when it comes in contact with an acid
Calcium carbonate (CaCO3) - this is how you can tell is sand is biogenic or abiogenic. Even acetic acid (vinegar) will cause this reaction.
black sandy beaches
Composed of volcanic minerals and lava fragments
small waves
Do large or small waves deposit sand?
Large
Do large or small waves remove sand?
Fine Sand
Does coarse sand or fine sand have a greater abundance of orgaanism?
Examples of sea stumps
Dun Briste, CO Mayo (50 m tall)
Hydraulic action (erosion)
Force of waves breaking against cliff causing it to break from the air compressed in cracks
iron rich material - compounds turn red when they hit oxygen
How are red beaches made of?
1/16 mm to 2 mm
How big are sand grains?
Orange Sandy Shores
In Italy, come from a combination of orange limestone, crushed shells, and volcanic deposits.
constructive
Is deposition a constructive or destructive process?
Destructive
Is erosion a constructive or destructive process?
Porosity
Particle size of sediment influences the _______ of sand and the ability of animals to burrow
Deposition
Process in which sediment is laid down in new locations. Material is deposited, or built up, on a landorm
gravel, sand, silts, clay
Put these in order from largest to smallest sand clay gravel silts
Weathering
Rough or sharp edged particles become rounded and polished through what process?
Purple Sandy Shores
Sand is usually primarily composed of quartz, but at this beach you will find areas of concentrated garnet. Pfeiffer beach in California
meiofauna
Small organisms that live in the spaces between sediment particles
False - Plants and humans can interfer with the rate of erosion.
T or F - Plants never slow the rate of erosion.
False - pure, distinctly shaped crystals are rarely found
T or F - Pure, distinctly shaped crystals are often found.
True
T or F - Smaller particles form on flatter beaches
True
T or F - Wind can transport particles over great distances, some even halfway across a continent or an entire ocean basin.
True
T or F - erosion is the removal of weathered material from location to another.
False - Sand grains can be biotic or abiotic
T or F - sand grains are only biotic.
True - abrasion during transport rounds particles
T or F - the rounder the sediment, the longer the transport
True
T or F - the size of sand is informative about the slope of the beach.
True - the farther the transport the better the sorting
T or F - the sorting of sediments can indicate how far the rock has been transported
False - the dryer the region, the stronger the erosional force
T or F - wind erodes more quickly in humid regions
True
T or F- Black sand beaches are usually close to volcanoes.
weather and erosion
The breakdown of rocks into smaller pieces; over thousands of years this will form sand.
weathering
The chemical and physical processes that break down rock at Earth's surface. This does NOT involve transporting.
Clay, silt, sand, and gravel (cobbles and boulders).
The different grain sizes of the fragments of soil from finest to coarsest.
saltation
The movement of finer paricles by short jumps and bounces that is caused by wind or water
Erosion
The process by which wind, water, ice, or gravity wear away and transports soil and sediment from one location to another. This is the opposite of deposition.
wave-cut platform
The smooth, level terrace sometimes found on erosional coasts that marks the submerged limit of rapid marine erosion.
sphericity
The state or condition of being a sphere.
the larger the particles
The steeper the beaches.
abiogenic and biogenic
The two classifications of sand.
Sea Stumps
These form when a sea stack is undercut by erosion and collapses. Most can only be seen at low tide.
Red Sandy Shores
This sand is rich in iron, which has eroded from the land, it is why the beach's sand is such a deep red. Iron-rich black and red lava rocks led to this colorful
carapace
Top of the turtle - shell - hard outer covering or case of turtles
seacave
Wave carved opening at base of cliff
Sea Cave Sea Arch Sea Stack Sea Stump
Waves cut cracks and form large holes which become _________. Over time, and more erosion, they become _____ ______. Over time, the arch cannot be supported, so it will colapse and form a _________. The stack is undercut by erosion at it's base and may collapse to form a ______.
Olivine - Hawaiian
What are green beaches made of?
Water, wind, glaciers, or gravity
What are some agents of deposition?
water, wind, glaciers, ice, and gravity
What are some weathering agents?
weather, climate, shape of the land and type of rock
What are the factors that effect the rate of erosion?
Creep, saltation, suspension
What are the three types of wind erosion?
size and shape
What are the two fundamental properties of sediment?
Parrotfish poop
What are white sand beaches made of?
silica (silicon dioxide Si2-quarts) minerals like mica feldspar
What do sandy shores consist of?
Pink Sand
Which sand is formed from a mixture of white sand and tiny fragments of red coral?
Black sand
Which sand is from iron, titanium, and other volcanic materials; often basalt deposits?
Green Sandy Shores
Which sandy shores come from the olivine crystals which erode out of basalt lava flows.
greater water retention and more suitable sediment for burrowing.
Why do fine sand beaches have a great abundance of organisms?
The waves can send particles higher and then they do not receive as much interaction with the wind and water as flatter beaches do.
Why do steeper beaches have larger particles?
dune
a feature that may form when there is a strong enough wind for sediment transport, a sufficient supply of sand, and obstacle-like vegetation, which allows the blown sand to be trapped and accumulate over time.
blowhole
a hole in the roof of a coastal cave, produced by wave erosion, through which compressed air and water are forced as waves break into the cave
wavecut platform
a narrow, flat area at the base of a sea cliff. Cliff collapses due to a wave cut notch, creating a platform
lagoon
a stretch of salt water separated from the sea by a low sandbank or coral reef.
source rock
abiogenic sand comes from a mother or ____ ____.
sediment
all particles, including boulders, gravel, sand and mud.
Beach
an area of sand sloping down to the water of a sea or lake
Barrier spit
an exposed sandbar that is connected to the shoreline
natural bridge
arch of rock formed by groundwater erosion
physical weathering
breaks rocks into smaller pieces without changing its composition.
CaCO3
calcium carbonate - The substance is the primary component of most biogenic sands causing them to react with acid.
sphericity - texture
can reveal the age of particles
chemical weathering
chages the mineral composition of the rock.
tidal inlet
channel or break in a bay barrier or spit that connects an estuary to the open ocean
characteristics of sand
colors, textures, size of sand, grains, and material origins
Biogenic sands
composed of skeletal remains from living things. ex: coral, mollusk shells, worm tubes, sea shells, sponge spicules, sea urchin spines, exoskeletons, and algae
Quartz
found in many rocks including granite and cert and is the main constituent of most sand. Most are clear or white in color.
sea stacks
offshore columns of resistant rock that were once connected to the mainland
bay
part of a large body of water that extends into a shoreline, generally smaller than a gulf
white-sand beaches
poop of parrotfish
waves and tides
provide the constant action that assists in breaking down rocks to form sand.
abiogenic
sand made from eroded pieces of rocks called mother or source rocks; not produced by the action of living organisms.
biogenic
sand made of the skeletal remains of plants and animals; resulting from living things
Scales on turtle shell
scotes???
suspension
the movement of very, tiny-sized particles
sorting of sediment
the separating of items into groups according to one or more properties
sphericity
the shape of granular material; intitially defined by a surface ratio that requires 3D grain surface measurement.
creep
the slower movement of heavy particles
Sea turtles typically nest only on beaches
where they were hatched