THE POWER OF OCEAN WAVES

PEGGY’S COVE, NS

CABOT PARK, PEI

DUNCAN’S COVE, NS

EROSION AND DEPOSITION Ocean waves are continuously shaping coastlines by wearing down some areas such as headlands and building up others such as beaches in bays.

Beaches are some of the most attractive features in Atlantic Canada, and indeed around the world. Beaches are created by the work of waves. BEACHES

Waves crash against the shore with great force. They erode headlands, producing sediments such as sand which is then carried by the waves to the shore and deposited on a beach.

Sandy beach on PEI

Cavendish Beach, PEI

Broad Cove Beach, Cape Breton Island

Beach in Nice, France

Not all beach sediment is sand. Hirtle’s Beach, NS

Not all beaches are beaches - Pebble Beach Golf Course, California

Let’s review where beach sand comes from. We’ll also take a look at some of the spectacular scenery waves carve out when they are producing beach sand.

Wave Refraction The Bending of Wave Fronts HeadlandsSea Caves Sea ArchesSea Stacks

Some Famous and Not-So-Famous Headlands:

Headland at Cavendish, PEI

Sandstone headlands at Cavendish, PEI

Monterey, California

Southern France

Pebble Beach, California

Duncan’s Cove, NS

Rocky headlands Acadia National Park, Maine

My boy (and headlands of course!) Blomidon, NS

Cape Split (Bay of Fundy, NS)

Cape Split, NS High Tide Low Tide

Cape Split

The End