GEG 120 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Hydraulic Action, Biscayne Bay, Raised Beach
14 May 2013
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Document Summary
Coastal landforms and landscapes reveal the dominant forces at work. Cliffs and caves tell us erosional (degradational) activity is paramount. Beaches and barrier islands signify that deposition (aggradation) prevails. Berms: the backshore"s flat, sandy beaches laid down during storms. Coastal dunes: shaped by wind action, esp. sea breezes and storms. Sandspit: fingerlike extension of beach as longshore drift continues into open water ^ Baymouth bar: sandspit that has grown across the mouth of a bay. Tombolo: sandspit that grew to link mainland with an offshore island. Thus the beach is wider than the part we can see. Extends from the foot of a line of dunes and continues seaward beneath the surf. Constructed from sand and other materials, both from local and distant sources. Most coastal material is river sediment moved by waves and currents. Most u. s. atlantic & gulf beaches are light colored (hawaii"s are dark) The most characteristic aggradational landform along the coastline.
