coastal landforms

Introduction
Factors and forces in the formation of coastal features
- Waves
- Longshore currents
- Rip currents
- Tides
- Other factors and processes
Landforms of erosional coasts
- Sea cliffs
- Wave-cut platforms
- Sea stacks
- Sea arches
Landforms of depositional coasts
- General coastal morphology
  - Deltas
  - Barrier island/estuarine systems
  - Strand-plain coasts
- Beaches and coastal dunes
  - Beaches
  - Coastal dunes

References & Edit History Related Topics

Related Questions

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South East Coastal Group - Coastal Landforms

coastal landforms

geology

Written by

Richard A Davis

Professor of Geology, University of South Florida, Tampa. Author of Depositional Systems and others.

Richard A Davis

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....

Britannica Editors

History

coastal landforms, any of the relief features present along any coast, the result of a combination of processes, sediments, and the geology of the coast itself. The coastal environment of the world is made up of a wide variety of landforms manifested in a spectrum of sizes and shapes ranging from gently sloping beaches to high cliffs, yet coastal landforms are best considered in two broad categories: erosional and depositional. In fact, the overall nature...

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