Wave Action and Their Resultant Landforms

Wave action and their landforms
Tides are periodic rise and fall in the level of the

ocean and other large water bodies.
Coast is the strip of land which borders the sea.
Shores is the land along the edge of the sea or
any large water bodies.
Such land lies between the lowest low tide and
the highest point reached by the wave.
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 Coastline is the edge of the land along the shore.
 This is the line where the highest wave reaches the
land
 On rocky coast or highland coast is called cliff line
 Shoreline this is the line where the shore and water
meet.
 Highest water level – is the farthest level on the
side of the land which is reached by the most
powerful waves.
 Lowest water level - is the lowest level on the side
of the sea which is reached by the lowest tide.

Beach is the part of the shore which is usually
covered by shingles and sand.
Some beaches are described as stony, because the
main materials are shingles. While others are
sandy beach because they mainly covered by
sand.
Cliff is a high and very steep rock face along the
coastline.

cliff

 Wave is a moving ridge of water, especially on the
ocean/sea which is caused by the wind and tides.
 Is a ridge of moving water which is caused by
oscillation of water particles, as the wind blows over
the water friction occurs causing wave to form.
 The top of the wave is called crest
 The bottom of the wave is called trough
 The length of the wave is wave length
 Is the horizontal distance between two successive
crest.
 The difference between crest and trough is called
wave height.
Types of waves
• There two types of wave; namely constructive
and destructive wave.
Constructive wave
• Refers to type of waves which are responsible for
building features such as beaches and sand bar
along the shore through deposition.
• It takes place when swash is stronger than
backwash, causing a lot of materials to be thrown
to the shores.
• Since backwash is weaker it only carries small
amount of materials back to the sea, resulting in
excess materials accumulating on the shore.
Destructive wave
These type of waves destroys or modifying the
existing coastal features mainly through erosion
other than deposition.
Takes place when swash is weaker than back wash,
this backwash remove more materials from the
shore than being deposited.
Destructive wave break at a higher frequency,
usually at intervals of less than 4 seconds.
These waves are more effective on steep sloping
coasts but this varies due to the direction, strength
and the fetch of the tides and winds .
Wave action
• This involves erosion, transportation and
deposition.

EROSIONAL PROCESSES
• Hydraulic Action; is an action caused by the
force of moving water, this is done in two
ways.
1. compressed air action- where air pressure
from the wave crushing the cliff crack make it
the crack to expand and contract when water
move out of the crack, hence repetition of the
process forces the rock to disintegrate.

2. Direct wave force; this is done when the large
amount of water crushing the cliff rock face,
remove the rock material on the cliff rock.
Corrasion/Abrasion – Waves use their load to
break rock down into smaller fragments, also
these loads act as the remover of the other
materials found on the sea floor at the shore
and coast

• Solution/corrosion; water dissolves soft rock, there
are some rock which is soluble when it react with
water tends to dissolve and disappear. E.G
Limestone, Gypsum and Dolomite
• Attrition; this is the process where the carried
materials collide themselves as well as collide with
the materials on the shore and on the coast, ending
up breaking into small particles.

Factors affecting the rate of marine erosion
1. Breaking point of the wave
A wave that breaks as it hits the foot of a cliff
releases most energy and causes maximum
erosion.
If the wave hits the cliff before it breaks,
then much less energy is transmitted,
whereas a wave breaking further offshore
will have had its energy dissipated as it
travelled across the beach.
2. Wave steepness
Highest – energy waves, associated with
longer fetch distances, have a high, steep
appearance.
That waves have greater erosive power than
low-energy waves, which are generated
where the fetch is shorter and that waves
have a lower and flatter form.

3. Depth of sea, length and direction of fetch,
configuration of coastline.
A steeply shelving beach creates higher and
steeper waves than one with a more gentle
slope.
The longer the fetch, the greater the time
available for waves to collect energy from
the wind.
The existence of headlands with vertical
cliffs tends to concentrate energy by waves
refraction.
4. Supply of beach materials
heavy materials or boulders have a higher erosive
power than fine materials.
beaches, by absorbing wave energy, provide a
major protection against coastal erosion.

5. Rock resistance, structure and dip
 A coast made up of soft rocks wears away easily
when subjected to sea waves or when rocks are well
jointed or have fractures or are easily eroded.
 The rocks that are well -jointed or have been subject
to faulting have an increased vulnerability to erosion.
 The steepest cliffy are usually where the rock’s
structure is horizontal or vertical .
 In the latter case, blocks may break off and slide
downward.
 Erosion is also rapid where rocks of different
resistance overlie one another, e.g chalk and
limestone.
6. Human activity
The increase in pressure resulting from building
on cliff tops and the removal of beach materials
which may otherwise have protected the base of
the cliff both contribute to more rapid coastal
erosion.
Although rates of erosion may be reduced locally
by the construction of sea defences, such
defences often lead to increased rates of erosion
in adjcent areas.
Human activity, therefore has the effect of
disturbing the equilibrium of the coastal system.
7.Degree of exposure of the coast to wave erosion:
the exposed coasts are eroded more than the
sheltered coasts that are sheltered hence reducing
the rate of erosion.

Coastal wave erosional features
Cliff
Is a high and steep rock face along the sea coast
produced by undercutting of rock at about high
tide level by breaking wave.
Cliff is of various categories such as vertical cliff,
overhanging cliff, straight cliff and indented cliff.

Vertical cliff

Overhanging cliff

Straight cliff

Indented cliff

Wave cut platform
Is a plateau like structure or plane which result
due to undercutting of cliff done by waves, that
increase stress and tension in the cliff eventually
it collapse.

Bay and headland
These are the erosional features formed when
the wave attack the cliff rock face, which has
different erosioanl resistance, where the less
resistance rock erode more then the resistance
rock.
This process results in the development of sea
inlets known as bay as the rock are more eroded
leaving open space sometimes being filled with
water.
The resistance rock remain projected to the sea is
known as headland.
headland

Bay

Cave
Is a cylindrical tunnel – like chamber extending
inland into a cliff or into the side of a headland.
The circumference of a cave is larger at the
entrance but become smaller inwards.
Caves are mainly formed at the base of a cliff.
Its formation starts as a small hollow on a weak
area of the cliff, especially where the rock such as
limestone have been acted on by solution
process.
For example the cliff of kenya coast at watamu,
shimoni and funzi.
cave

Cave

Arches
Is the wave erosional features formed when the
cave which developed on one side of a headland
extend into the headland and reaches the other
side of that headland.
Also when two cave develop to both side of the
headland, eventually meet to form an arch.

An arch

Stack
Is a wave erosional features formed when the
erosion continue on the roof of an arch, it enlarge
arch until its roof collapse.
Is an isolated pillar of rock which is left standing on
the sea ward side of the cliff line.

stack

Stump
Is a wave erosional feature formed when there is
prolonged erosion at the base of the stack by wave
undercuts, eventually the top part of stack collapse
leaving only the base which is usually submerged at
high tide and exposed at low tide.

stump

Blow hole/gloup
Refers to the wave erosional features formed when
the cave develop on the cliff and eventually appears
as a tunnel hole on the side of the land surface.
This results of chemical weathering along the joint,
the rock minerals may corroded and dissolve
causing the joint to expand and become larger.
This hole slowly grow in depth forming a vertical
shaft.
When this hole appears at the roof of a cave, hence
forms blowhole.
Named blowhole; As the wave break inside the cave
during high tide, sometime may be seen shooting
out of the hole.this causes the hole to widen faster.
Blow holes

Geo
Refers to wave erosional features formed when the
roof of the blowhole collapse, hence results into a
narrow sea inlet.
The Geo may be occupied by sea water at high tide.

WAVE TRANSPORTATION
 There are various sources of the material in the sea.
 The material has been:
 Eroded from cliffs.
 Transported by longshore drift along the coastline.
 Brought inland from offshore by constructive waves.
 Carried to the coastline by rivers.
 Waves can approach the coast at an angle because of the direction of
the prevailing wind.
 The swash of the waves carries material up the beach at an angle.
 The backwash then flows back to the sea in a straight line at 90°.
 This movement of material is called transportation.
 Continual swash and backwash transports material sideways along the
coast.
 This movement of material is called longshore drift and occurs in a
zigzag.

There are four ways that waves and tidal currents transport
sediment.
Process Description
Minerals are dissolved in sea water and carried in solution.
The load is not visible. Load can come from cliffs made from
Solution
chalk or limestone, and calcium carbonate is carried along in
solution.
Small particles are carried in water, eg silts which can make
the water look cloudy. Currents pick up large amounts of
Suspension
sediment in suspension during a storm, when strong winds
generate high energy waves.
Load is bounced along the sea bed, eg small pieces of shingle

Saltation or large sand grains. Currents cannot keep the larger and
heavier sediment afloat for long periods.
Traction
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WAVE MOTION

What is Longshore Drift?
 Longshore drift is the movement of material along
the shore by wave action.
 Longshore drift happens when waves approach the
beach at an angle.
 The swash (waves moving up the beach) carries
material up and along the beach.
 The backwash carries material back down the beach
at right angles.
 This is the result of gravity. This process slowly
moves material along the beach.
 Longshore drift provides a link between erosion and
deposition.
 Material in one place is eroded, transported then
deposited elsewhere.
Long shore Drift

Deposition
When the sea loses energy, it drops the sand, rock
particles and pebbles it has been carrying. This is
called deposition.
Deposition happens when the swash is stronger
than the backwash and is associated with
constructive waves.
Deposition is likely to occur when:
waves enter an area of shallow water.
waves enter a sheltered area, eg a cove or bay.
there is little wind.
there is a good supply of material.
Wave Deposition
 Rivers carry sediments from the land to the sea. If
wave action is high, a delta will not form. Waves will
spread the sediments along the coastline to create a
beach.
 Waves also erode sediments from cliffs and
shorelines and transport them onto beaches.
Beaches can be made of mineral grains like quartz,
rock fragments, and also pieces of shell or coral.
 Quartz, rock fragments, and shell make up the sand
along a beach.
 Waves continually move sand along the shore. Waves
also move sand from the beaches on shore to bars of
sand offshore as the seasons change.
• In the summer, waves have lower energy so they
bring sand up onto the beach.
• In the winter, higher energy waves bring the sand
back offshore.
• Some of the features formed by wave-deposited
sand include barrier islands and spits. A spit is sand
connected to land and extending into the water.
• A spit may hook to form a tombolo.
• Shores that are relatively flat and gently sloping
may be lined with long, narrow barrier islands.

• Most barrier islands are a few kilometers wide
and tens of kilometers long.
• Much of North Carolina's coast is protected by
barrier islands that enclose Pamlico Sound. The
thin white strips on the outer edges of the islands
are beach sand.
• In its natural state, a barrier island acts as the first
line of defense against storms such as hurricanes.
• When barrier islands are urbanized, hurricanes
damage houses and businesses rather than
vegetated sandy areas in which sand can move. A
large hurricane brings massive problems to the
urbanized area.
Wave Depositional features

Beaches
• Is a gentle sloping mass of accumulated materials
such as sand, shingles, pebbles and boulders along
the coast.
• The profile is always concave.
• The land ward side of the beach is backed by sand
dunes, which are followed by shingles, sand and
rock as one moves towards the sea.
• Beaches are formed by constructive wave,
especially during relative calm weather when the
backwash is at its weakest.
• When a beaches is formed at the head of a bay is
called bay beach. E.g Formosa bay at malindi in
kenya
• When a wave deposit materials of sand and
gravels which form small projection is called
beach cusp.

beaches

Spit
Is a low –lying narrow ridge of sand, shingles or
pebbles with one end attached to the coast and
other end projecting into the sea.
It form at a point where coastline changes its
direction towards the land.
Spits are formed on shallow shores when the
movement of materials by long shore drift is
halted .
The materials are then deposited in the water.
This continues until they bulge out with
accumulation growing towards the sea.
• The end of the spit is usually curved into a hook-
like feature known as the hook of the spit, the
hook id formed by minor waves which swing
around the end of the spit.
• E.g sand spit are found at walvis bay in namibia

SPIT

Bars
• Are the ridge of sand, mud, shingle, pebbles or a
mixture of these materials which are deposited
by waves in the shallow water at the coast.
• These are various types of bar, namely bay bar,
tombolo and offshore bar /barrier bar.
Bay bar
A bay bar forms across the entrance to a bay or
river mouth.
It start off as a spit which develops right across the
entry of the sea inlet, forming a barrier, this
barriers is the bay bar.
• The bar may be submerged at high tide but
exposed at low tide.
• It encloses an area of calm water within the bay
known as lagoon.
• The water is calm because the strong sea wave
break on the bar.

Offshore bar/barrier bar
Is the features formed on very gentle sloping
coast which extends far out into a sea.
• The water starts to deposit the load it is carrying
at the point where the waves breaks.
• The materials accumulate and form a break point
bar which is a ridge running parallel to the shore.
• This barrier is the offshore bar
• All the strong sea waves break here and only
minor wave may form over the remaining
distance to the land.
• The section of the sea water that is between the
land and this bar forms a lagoon.
• The lagoon may be colonized by marshy plant on
the side bordering the land.
• E.g the Malindi marine park along the coast of
kenya.

Barriers BEACH

Tumulus /Mound/Tombolo
A tombolo, from the Italian tombolo, derived from
the Latin tumulus, meaning 'mound', is a
deposition landform in which an island is attached
to the mainland by a narrow piece of land such as a
spit or bar.
Once attached, the island is then known as a tied
island.
E.g this features are found at lumley beach of sierra
leone

• Tombolo

TOMBOLO

Berms
• These are large ridge of sand which are
deposited far away from the coast mainly by the
action of storms which throws materials far
away from the coast line.
• Berms is influenced by the size of the tidal
range, where several larges may develop
• Berm, terrace of a beach that has formed in the
backshore, above the water level at high tide.
• Berms are commonly found on beaches that
have fairly coarse sand and are the result of the
deposition of material by low-energy waves.
• Ridges and runnels
• These are small hills and small channels of sand
near the coast formed when the waves are not
very strong, they are seen only when the wave are
weak at low tide level.

Ridges and runnels

• Cuspate forelands, also known as cuspate barriers
or nesses in Britain, are geographical features found
on coastlines and lakeshores that are created
primarily by longshore drift.
• Formed by accretion and progradation of sand and
shingle, they extend outwards from the shoreline in
a triangular shape.
• This is a triangular – shaped deposit of sand or
shingles projecting from the mainland to the sea.
• It is a rare features formed when two spit grows
towards each other at an angle.
• The features become wider as more materials are
added to form beach ridges.
• Eventually the lows are filled in and the
enclosed lagoon slowly fills up with sediments.


Wave Action and Their Resultant Landforms

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Wave action and their landforms

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