Wave Erosion

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Erosion and Deposition by

Waves

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A Day at the Beach...

Who doesn’t love a nice
relaxing day at the
beach?

Have you ever
wondered how that
beach formed?

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A Day at the Beach...

Well there’s certainly a
clue in the title of
this… we can thank our
good friends erosion
and deposition!

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It all starts with a wave...

Ahh the waves… whether you choose to
play in them or just relax and enjoy the
sounds, waves are a pretty huge part of the
beach experience...and beach formation!

Ocean waves are created by wind that
blows across the surface the water,
transferring energy.

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Motion of the Ocean

In the ocean, waves move
through the water, but the
water doesn’t move forward.

As waves get close to shore the
water starts to move forward
with the wave and it picks up
sediment. The moving water
then causes erosion when
waves hit the shore.

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The sand in your toes...

Did you know? Most beach sand comes
from rivers that carry eroded sediment to
the ocean.

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The Power of Waves

Waves weather (break
down) and erode
(carry away) the sand
and other sediments.

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Wave Erosion Landforms

Remember, erosion is the transportation or
removal of sand or sediments!

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Wave-Cut Cliff

▪Wave-cut cliffs form as waves
erode the land along the
shore and cause rocks to
collapse into the sea.

▪You can identify wave-cut
cliffs by their steep slopes
that formed when waves
undercut the rock.

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Sea Cave

Sea caves form as waves hit a
steep area (such as a wave-cut
cliff) and erode out the bottom of
the cliff, forming large holes
(caves).

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Sea Arch

Forms when waves
cut through a sea
cave

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Sea Stack

Big columns of rock that
were once connected to the
mainland

Sea stacks form when a mass
of rock is separated from
land after a sea arch forms,
grows wider, then collapses.

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Headland

Headlands are
finger-shaped rocks that
stick out into the sea. They
are formed from erosion.

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Wave Deposition
Landforms

Remember, deposition is the laying down/building up
of sand or sediments in an area!

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Beach

Waves that carry sediment hit
the shore and then drop the
sediment. This depositing of
sediments forms a beach.

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Longshore Drift

As waves repeatedly hit a
beach, some of the sediment
moves down the beach as
the water moves with the
current. The current is driven
by the direction of the wind.

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Spit

A spit forms when a
longshore drift deposits
sediments into a beach that
projects out into the water,
sort of like a finger.

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Sandbars

A ridge of deposited sand off
of the shoreline of a beach.
Sandbars are not considered
stable or permanent in most
places.

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Barrier Island
Larger, more permanent
versions of sandbars. They
are formed by deposition and
act as a natural “barrier”
(hence the name) that
protects the coast from
some erosion and strong
weather systems.

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Review Questions

1. Classify the wave-created landforms by “formed

by erosion” and “formed by deposition”.

2. How many of these landforms have you seen in

person? Which ones?

3. Which landform do you think is the most

uncommon? Why? Where could it be found?