Biology and Geology 3. Secondary Education COASTAL FEATURES Surface process UNIT 8

Cliff Arch Cave Erosive coastal features Tombolo Sand spitLagoon Beach Marshes Sand bank Transportation and sedimentary coastal features Biology and Geology 3. Secondary Education Coastal features UNIT 8

Cliffs are sharp slopes or sheer vertical walls between the land and the sea. They are formed as the result of marine erosion on rocky coasts. Cliffs UNIT 8 Biology and Geology 3. Secondary Education Coastal features

Arches are relief forms caused by marine abrasion on a cliff. They normally start from a cave. Arches UNIT 8 Biology and Geology 3. Secondary Education Coastal features

Caves are natural cavities which are formed by the wearing away of the rocks on the coast due to the effect of abrasion of the waves. They usually form in areas of the cliff where the rocks are softer. Caves UNIT 8 Biology and Geology 3. Secondary Education Coastal features

These are mounds which formed part of the coast before it was eroded away. Following this erosion, they are left out at sea, but attached to the coast by means of a spit of sand or gravel. Tombolos UNIT 8 Mound Spit Biology and Geology 3. Secondary Education Coastal features

These are long, thin sand banks, perpendicular to the coast and attached to it at one end. They are formed by the action of coastal currents. Spits UNIT 8 Biology and Geology 3. Secondary Education Coastal features

Sand spit UNIT 8 These are long sandbanks, parallel to the coast and attached to it at one end. They are formed by the action of coastal currents. Biology and Geology 3. Secondary Education Coastal features

Lagoons are bodies of salt or brackish water which are formed on the coast when a spit or bar totally or partially closes off a bay. Lagoons UNIT 8 Biology and Geology 3. Secondary Education Coastal features

These are deposits of sand or gravel that are formed on flat coasts, generally in bays protected from the waves. Beaches UNIT 8 Biology and Geology 3. Secondary Education Coastal features

If the sandbanks close off the estuary of a river, the fluvial sediments fill it in, forming marshy ground called a swamp. Marshes UNIT 8 Biology and Geology 3. Secondary Education Coastal features