Coastal Deposition

Gap-fill exercise

Fill in all the gaps, then press "Check" to check your answers. Use the "Hint" button to get a free letter if an answer is giving you trouble. You can also click on the "[?]" button to get a clue. Note that you will lose points if you ask for hints or clues!
You can use the following words to help you complete the exercise below - bar/ swash/ salt marsh/ prevailing wind/ long shore drift/ constructive/ inwards/ deposited/ inwards/ wave

Beaches are formed by processes. Gently sloping beaches are formed by strong waves that backwash more material away from the beach that they swash up the beach. Steeply sloping beaches occur by waves that swash more material up the beach than they backwash away, building up a steep beach gradient.

Spits are created by the process of . Some eroded material ends up caught up within the waves and is carried by the sea along the coastline in cells known as littoral cells. Material is carried along the shore in a zigzag fashion by waves as they material up the beach at an angle and backwash material down the beach at a right angle. The angle of swash is determined by the (the dominant or main direction in which the wind blows).

Wherever there is a break in the coastline (e.g. across a river or a change in coastline direction) then material is closest to the shore. This is because there is often counter currents and a loss in velocity, so material is dropped or deposited.

Eventually this material builds up out into sea to form a spit. The spit often curves towards the land as a result of the prevailing wind directing the waves which push the sediment in towards the shore.

Spits often have build up behind them because the spit offers protection from the stronger waves and the wind, allowing salt tolerant plants to grow.

If a spit extends from headland to headland then a will be created.