Erosional and depositional features of sea waves are the result of the constant interaction between waves, coastal landforms, and sediments. These processes shape the coastline and contribute to the formation of various coastal features. Here is a list and explanation of some of the key erosional and depositional features:
Erosional Features:
1. Sea Cliffs: Sea cliffs are steep, vertical or nearly vertical rock formations that are created when waves erode the base of a coastal rock, causing it to collapse. Over time, this process carves out cliffs along the coastline.
2. Sea Caves: Sea caves form when waves erode weaknesses in cliffs, such as faults or fractures, creating hollowed-out spaces in the rock.
3. Sea Arches: Sea arches are formed when the sea erodes both sides of a headland or a rocky outcrop, eventually wearing away the rock and creating an arch-shaped opening.
4. Sea Stacks: Sea stacks are isolated columns of rock that remain standing in the sea after the surrounding cliffs have been eroded away. They are formed when parts of headlands or sea arches collapse.
5. Wave-Cut Platforms: These are flat, rocky surfaces that develop at the base of sea cliffs due to the continual erosion of the cliff face by waves. As the waves erode the rock, the cliff retreats, leaving behind a wave-cut platform.
Depositional Features:
1. Beaches: Beaches are accumulations of sand, pebbles, or shingle deposited by waves along the shoreline. The materials are carried by waves and deposited in the shallows.
2. Spits: Spits are narrow, elongated ridges of sand or shingle that extend from the coastline into the sea. They are formed when waves carry sediment along the coastline and deposit it in a long, narrow strip.
3. Bars: Bars are similar to spits but they are formed in shallow water parallel to the shoreline. They can sometimes completely block off lagoons or bays from the open sea.
4. Barrier Islands: Barrier islands are long, narrow, low-lying islands that run parallel to the coastline, separated by a lagoon or estuary. They form as a result of wave and tidal action depositing sand and sediments.
5. Tombolos: A tombolo is a narrow strip of sand or gravel that connects an offshore island to the mainland. It forms when waves and currents deposit sediment between the island and the mainland, gradually building up a connection.
These erosional and depositional features are continually shaped and modified by the dynamic interactions of waves, tides, and currents, which can result in changes to coastlines over time.