SHORE ENVIRONMENT

They consist of beach and barrier island systems

Beaches are long parallel accumulations of sand along coastlines.
Barrier islands are beaches separated by a lagoon or an estuary

They are the most dynamic of all depositional environments and are subject to both
seasonal and
longer range changes that keep them in a state of virtually constant flux. They are deposited
due wave related processes where tidal influence is low, which is generally along micro-tidal
coasts.

Morphology
The beach environment can be divided into several zones:

The backshore, which extends landward from the beach berm(slope break) above high-
tide level and commonly includes back-beach dune deposits

The foreshore, which mainly encompasses the

intertidal zone that is in between low-tide and high-tide levels

The Shoreface, also called the nearshore, which extends from about low-tide level to the
transition
zone between beach and shelf sediments upto to fair-weather
wave base at a depth of about 10-15 m.

Wave Processes

Water moves in orbital paths below waves. As deep-water orbital waves approach
shallow water where depth is about one-half the wave length, the orbital motion of the
water is impeded by interaction with the bottom. Orbits become progressively more
elliptical and, eventually, near the bottom, develop a nearly
horizontal to-and-fro motion that can move sediment back and forth. These to-fro
movement is important in generating ripple bedforms as well as in producing some net
sediment transport. As waves progress farther shoreward into the shallow shoaling zone
forward velocity of the wave slows, wave length decreases,
and wave height increases. The waves eventually steepen to the point where orbital
velocity exceeds wave velocity and the wave breaks, creating the breaker zone.
Breaking waves generate turbulence that throws sediment into suspension. Breaker
zone paves way for surf zone, in it a high-velocity translation wave (due to breaking of
wave into current) or bore, is projected up the upper shoreface, causing landward
transport of bedload sediment and generation of a short-duration "suspension cloud" of
sediment. At the shoreline, the surf zone gives way to the swash zone, in
which a rapid, very shallow swash flow moves up the beach, carrying sediment in partial
suspension, followed almost immediately by a backwash flow down the beach. The
backwash begins at very low velocity but accelerates quickly. ( Any heavy minerals are
present in the suspended sediment, they settle rapidly to generate a thin heavy-mineral
lamina.) The width of the surf and swash zones is governed by the steepness of the
shoreface and foreshore.
Very steep shorefaces may develop no surf zone at all and waves break very close to
shore, whereas gentle shorefaces commonly have very wide surf zones.

Longshore and Rip Currents

If translation waves approach land at an angle then we have zig zag deposition of
sediments. Along with translation wave is deflected parallel into longshore current,
which moves in longshore shallow troughs . Some times there can be parallel troughs
and ridges resulting in ridge and runnel systems.
Since water accumulated in longshore troughs want to go back into sea then as soon it
found a topographic low it goes in form of rip current.

Deposits in a beach environment can be efficiently classified into

following groups:

FORESHORE: Sediments of the foreshore consist predominantly of fine to medium sand

but may also include scattered pebbles and gravel lenses or layers. Sedimentary
structures are mainly parallel laminae, formed during swash-backwash flow, that dip
gently (2°-3°) seaward. Thin, heavy-mineral laminae are commonly present, alternating
with layers of quartzose sand.

BACKSHORE: submerged under only during storm conditions, we have eolian sand
transport and storm wave deposition, faintly landward dipping laminae, may be overlain
by eolian cross bed sets, we can find traces of burrows and root growths

UPPER SHOREFACE: Region Dominated by strong bi-directional currents and longshore

currents, resulting in multi directional trough cross beds, fossils like skolithos are
present but not in abundance

MIDDLE SHOREFACE: Roughly the breaker zone, fine sand deposited, we can have cross
bed troughs and sub – horizontal plane lamination

LOWER SHOREFACE: Formed under relatively low energy conditions, nearly horizontal
beds, fine to extra fine sand, intercalated layers of sand and silt and grading to shelf

Ancient Beach and Barrier-Island Sediment Deposits

We can see that shorelines shift through time, they can move towards land
(transgression) and move towards sea (transgression). This results in vertical succession
profile as one environment is overlapped by adjacent environment.

In case of Barrier Islands we three systems in action, the barrier island itself, estuary or
lagoon and tidal channels connecting them. So the vertical successions of barrier island
are complex. Usually there are three cases.

Transgression (Slow rate of sea level rise): Results in erosion and deposition to lower
shoreface , hence shoreline moves towards sea.
Transgression (Fast rate of sea level rise): Older barrier islands are submerged due to
rapid sea level rise

Regeression: These barrier island may progade under excessive supply of sediments
resulting in formation of strand plains.

Some time we can also see series of transgression and regression in vertical succession
of barrier islands.