Beach Features Flashcards
Beach Berms
Formed by the deposition of beach material by wave action and are nearly horizontal.
Beach Cusps
Shoreline formations made up of various grades of sediment in an arc pattern. The horns are made up of coarser material and the embayment contains finer sediment.
Fjord
A long, narrow, deep inlet of the sea between high cliffs, as in Norway, typically formed by submergence of a glaciated valley.
Fjard
An inlet formed by the marine submergence of formerly glaciated valleys and depressions within a rocky glaciated terrain of low relief. Shorter, shallower and broader than a Fjord.
Haff Coast
A long shallow lagoon separated from the open sea by a narrow sandbar or barrier beach. For example, the Baltic coast of Germany.
Psammosere
An ecological succession that began life on newly exposed coastal sand. Most common psammoseres are sand dune systems.
Ria
A long, narrow inlet formed by the partial submergence of a river valley.
Runnels
Formed due to the interaction of tides, currents, sediments and the beach’s natural arrangement. They only form on beaches with a shallow gradient. They form as a simple drainage route for tides.
Till
Till is sometimes called boulder clay because it is composed of clay, boulders of intermediate sizes, or a mixture of these. It will be deposited directly by glacial ice.
Backshore
The part of the beach lying between the foreshore and coastline. The backshore is dry under normal conditions, is often characterised by berms and is without vegetation. The backshore is only exposed to waves under extreme events with high tide and storm surge.
Foreshore
The part of a shore between high- and low-water marks, or between the water and cultivated or developed land.
Bedding Plane
The surface that separates each successive layer of a stratified rock from its preceding layer.
Nearshore
Relating to or denoting the region of the sea or seabed relatively close to a shore.
Offshore
Situated at sea some distance from the shore.
