Coastal Deposition Features Beaches Spits Bars Tombolos
Although some material eroded at the coast is washed out to sea, most of the material is transported along the coast by longshore drift. Deposition will occur when the waves are now longer able to transport material due to a loss of energy. This is the case with constructive waves, where material is moved up the beach in the strong swash, but the weak backwash means material is deposited to build up the beach.
Deposition commonly occurs:
 | where the water is sheltered (e.g. a bay) and the waves lack energy |
| where the coast is shallow and the increased friction between the water and the sea bed reduces the energy available for transport. |
Coastal Deposition Features:
Deposition of material results in the formation of a number of distinctive features: beaches; spits; bars and tombolos. You must be able to describe and explain the formation of each of these features with named examples (it is useful to be able to back up your explanation with a labelled diagram).
Select from the following links to view summaries of the formation of these features: