HOW ARE THE EROSIONAL AND DEPOSITIONAL FEATURES

FORMED BY WAVE ACTION AT HECTOR’S RIVER, PORTLAND,

JAMAICA?

Candidate: Asannia Clarke

Registration Number: 1001293760

School: Wolmer’s Trust High School for Girls

Centre Number: 100129

Teacher: Mrs. Hall

Territory: Jamaica

Subject: CSEC Geography

Year of Exam: 2020

 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page
Introduction………………………………………………………………………………1
Aim of Study…………………………………………………………………………….2

Location of Study Areas…………………………………………………………………3

Methods of Data Collection……………………………………………………………...5

Presentation, Description and Analysis of Data…………………………………………6

Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………….12

Bibliography……………………………………………………………………………..13

Appendix………………………………………………………………………………...14
 INTRODUCTION

For this SBA, the focus will be on investigating the formation of coastal features by wave

action at the Hector’s River, Portland, Jamaica. This aim was selected because the site holds a lot

evidence of erosional and depositional features. It was ideal for the research conducted as it

demonstrates the result of wave action to create these features. The institution that will benefit

from the information provided is the Urban Development Corporation. The urban planners will

receive information about the construction of the area and develop plans for the use of the land.

1
 AIM OF STUDY

To identify and explain the formation of erosional and depositional coastal features at Hector’s

River, Portland, Jamaica.

2
3
4
 METHODS OF DATA COLLECTION

The primary data used for this SBA was collected on Monday, July 1 st, 2019 by a group of

fourth form geography students from Wolmer’s Trust High School for Girls.

The primary data was collected at Hector’s River in Portland, Jamaica. A stopwatch was used

to record the number of waves which broke per minute. Five readings were recorded and

averaged. Forty samples of sediments were randomly selected. The long axis and short axis of

the sediments were measured using a ruler. Then the sediments were examined to determine rock

type; whether it is igneous, sedimentary or metamorphic. The shape of the sediments was

determined by examining the curvature and angularity of the rock; whether it is rounded, sub-

rounded, angular and sub-angular. The slope profile was measured and recorded using a rope

from the base of the cliff to the lowest point of the coast. Intervals of one metre were marked

along the slope using a metre ruler. A clinometer was used to measure the angle of the slope at

each interval. Observations were made and photos of features were recorded.

Secondary sources from websites and text books aid in further investigation.

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 PRESENTATION, DESCRIPTION AND ANALYSIS OF DATA

The topic is focused on the formation of coastal features at Hector’s River, Portland,

Jamaica. Over a period of time, wave action leads to the formation of many features along the

coast. Wave actions are classified as wave erosion and wave deposition. Some of the coastal

features are formed as a result of erosion by destructive waves. Others are formed by the

deposition of material/sediment along the coast by constructive waves. Coastal features located

at Hector’s River, Portland, Jamaica are bayhead beach, sea cliff, stack, headland and cove.

DEPOSITONAL COASTAL FEATURES

Bayhead beach

A bayhead beach is a curved beach that has developed at the head or back of a bay between

two headlands. This feature is usually formed by waves transporting sediments with a high

energy towards the headland then breaking and depositing sediments in the bay. However, this

may not be the case for Hector’s River. The sediments found at the location appear to originate

from the cliff. Hydraulic action eroded the land and deposited the sediments at the coast. It may

have been formed a different way but it has the features to be classified as a bayhead beach. Plate

1 shows the bayhead at Hector’s River, Portland, Jamaica. Figure 1 shows a pie chart of the types

of rocks collected from Hector’s River, Portland, Jamaica.

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 Headlands
Bay

Plate 1. Bayhead beach at Hector’s River, Portland, Jamaica

Source: Author’s fieldwork

Figure 1. Pie chart of the types of rocks collected from Hector’s River, Portland, Jamaica

Source: Author’s fieldwork

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EROSIONAL COASTAL FEATURES

Cove

At first glimpse it will appear as a bayhead beach but it is actually called a cove. A cove is a

nearly circular bay with a narrow entrance. Coves are formed when waves attack weaknesses in

coastal rocks, breaching them and cutting inlets, giving the waves access to a less resistant band

of rock inland- source: Rahil, 2010. The study area is on the eastern coast of Jamaica where

westerly winds occur. These winds will create movement in the Caribbean Sea; as a result waves

are formed. The waves travel from the fetch towards land. The waves erode the soft rocks while

the hard rocks remained, creating an inlet. Plate 2 shows an inlet at Hector’s River, Portland,

Jamaica.

Headland

Stump
Coast
Cove

Plate 2. Cove at Hector’s River, Portland, Jamaica

Source: Author’s fieldwork

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Sea cliff

A sea cliff is a vertical, steep rock face which is exposed by destructive waves – source:

Rahil, 2010. Both corrasion and hydraulic action assist in the formation of cliffs. Originally the

coastline did not have this shape but due to waves, erosion took place and the land retreated.

Table 1 shows the recording of waves taken from the study area.

Wave Count Average Wave Height Wave Length Direction of Wind

8.7 2m 7m West

From the table above, we can conclude that these waves are constructive despite the area is

erosional. This could be on that day of the recording, the waves did not receive enough energy

from the wind (the weather was calm).

Headland and Stack

Cliffs rarely erode at an even pace. Some cliffs are made of alternating bands of hard and soft

rocks. Sections of cliff, with hard rocks, are resistant to erosion and stick out to form a headland

– source: Rae, Rocke, Ross, 2014. Headlands are usually present at bay, cove and inlet. Plate 3

shows a headland at Hector’s River, Portland, Jamaica.

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 Headland

Stack

Plate 3: Headland at Hector’s River, Portland, Jamaica

Source: Author’s fieldwork

From the photo we can also see a stack next to the headland. That stack used to be a part of

the headland. The process begins with waves colliding into the sides of the headland. Two caves

are formed at both sides and slowly join together, becoming an arch. Then the roof of the arch

will eventually collapse, leaving a stack. Figure 2 shows the development of the stack.

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Figure 2. Development of a Stack

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 CONCLUSION

The coastal features found at Hector’s River, Portland, Jamaica are bayhead beach, cove, sea

cliff, headland and stack. The bayhead beach is made from the sediment from the land which was

eroded by waves. The cove is a circular bay which has a narrow mouth. The sea cliff, eroded by

destructive waves, is a steep exposed rock face. The headlands are areas of hard rocks which are

resistant to erosion. A stack is a vertical column of rock in the near the coast.

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 BIBLIOGRAPHY

Guinness, P., Nagle, G., Oliphant, K, Rae, A., Rocke, J., Ross, S., Rutter, J. & Wylie, A.

(2008). Geography for CSEC. United Kingdom: Nelson Thomas Ltd.

Morrissey, M. (2007). Atlas for Caribbean Examinations. England: Pearson Education

Limited.

Rahil, V. A. M. (2010). Complete Geography Course CSEC. Trinidad: Caribbean

Educational Publishers.

Wilson, M. (2012). The Caribbean Environment for CSEC Geography. New York: Oxford

University Press.

Rian-Martinez, A. (2013). Retrieved from https://edu.glogster.com/glog/geography-caves-

arches-stacks-stumps/1uk07lvkjbr

Additional Source

Jamaica: Morant Bay, 1:50,000 Sheet No. 19, Survey Department National Land Agency

Government of Jamaica 2010.

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 APPENDIX

Wolmer’s Trust High School for Girls

Geography 4 th Form

COASTAL MORPHOMETRY AND GEOMORPHOLOGY

July 1, 2019
NAME _________________________________________

Teacher’s Name:________________Form ___ Group ____

Te
Study Area: F ield s tudy of the south eas tern coas t of J amaica including t h e
f o l l o w i n g a r e a s : T h e P a l i s a d o e s T o m b o l o , Y a l l a h s B a r - S a l t P o n d s and
eros ional features at Long Road in P ortland.

Duration: 10 h o u r s : 8 : 0 0 a m - 6 : 0 0 p m
Instruments: M e a s u r i n g t a p e , m e t e r s t i c k , r u l e r , c a m e r a s , n o t e b o o k s p e n c i l s ,
p e n s , crayons, stop watch

Objectives:
1 . Based on wave count, identify the types of waves in operation in the
S tudy A rea

2. E x a m i n e t h e r e l a t i o n s h i p b e t w e e n t h e t y p e s o f w a v e s
and the coastal features present.

3 . Th ro ug h r oc k s a mp li ng , id en ti fy th e r oc k ty pe s i n th e s t ud y ar ea .

4. Assess the impact of rock type on the formation of the coastal

features. T h r o u g h m e a s u r e m e n t a n d o b s e r v a t i o n , d e t e r m i n e t h e w a v e
height, w ave length, direction of w ave movement, and hence the
direction of longshore drift.

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5. I d e n t i f y e r o s i o n a l a n d d e p o s i t i o n a l f e a t u r e s i n t h e s t u d y a r e a .

6. D r a w s k e t c h e s o f t h e c o a s t a l f e a t u r e s .

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 7. D r a w s k e t c h m a p o f t h e s t u d y a r e a .
8 . Using information gathered, des cribe the formation of each coas t
feature.

Locality 1: The Palisadoes Tombolo - St. Andrew

Make a neat, well-labelled sketch of the Tombolo. Label the direction of longshore
drift, swash, backwash and sediments and possible source.

Wave count____________
Wave Type ____________
Wave Height____________
Wave Length____________
Prevailing Wind Direction ______ Direction of Longshore Drift _____
Height of cliff _____
Time # of waves Period # of waves per
min Length (km)____________
(sec)
Width (km) ____________

Height (m)____________

Orientation____________

15
 Sediment Characteristics
S# SH LA SA T S# SH LA SA T S# SH LA SA T
1 11 21
2 12 22
3 13 23
4 14 24
5 15 25
6 16 26
7 17 27
8 18 28
9 19 29
10 20 30
Key: S# - Sample number; SH - Shape; LA - Long Axis; SA - Short Axis; T - Rock type
Explain how this landform developed
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
What evidence is there of man’s interference?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Give reasons for man’s interference.
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

What is the dominant rock type in this area and how does this impact the features present?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

16
Slope Profile

Distance Angle of Slope Distance Angle of Slope Distance Angle of Slope

0.5m 0.5m 0.5m
1 11 21
2 12 22
3 13 23
4 14 24
5 15 25
6 16 26
7 17 27
8 18 28
9 19 29
10 20 30

Locality 2: Yallahs Bar – St. Thomas

Make a neat, well-labelled sketch of the bars and ponds. Label the directions of
longshore drift, swash, backwash and sediments types and possible source.

17
Wave count____________
Wave Type ____________
Wave Height____________
Wave Length____________
Prevailing Wind Direction ______ Direction of Longshore Drift _____
Height of cliff _____
Time # of waves Period # of waves per
per sec min Length (km)____________
(sec)
Width (km) ____________

Height (m)____________

Orientation____________

Sediment Characteristics
S# SH LA SA T S# SH LA SA T S# SH LA SA T
1 11 21
2 12 22
3 13 23
4 14 24
5 15 25
6 16 26
7 17 27
8 18 28
9 19 29
10 20 30
Key: S# - Sample number; SH - Shape; LA - Long Axis; SA - Short Axis; T - Rock type
Explain how this landform developed
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
What evidence is there of man’s interference?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Give reasons for man’s interference.
______________________________________________________________________________

18
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

What is the dominant rock type in this area and how does this impact the features present?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

Slope Profile

Distance Angle of Slope Distance Angle of Slope Distance Angle of Slope

0.5m 0.5m 0.5m
1 11 21
2 12 22
3 13 23
4 14 24
5 15 25
6 16 26
7 17 27
8 18 28
9 19 29
10 20 30

Locality3: Hector’s River – Portland

Make a neat, well-labelled sketch of the cove and inlet. Label the directions of
longshore drift, swash, backwash and sediment type and possible source.

19
Wave count____________
Wave Type ____________
Wave Height____________
Wave Length____________
Prevailing Wind Direction ______ Direction of Longshore Drift ____

Height of cliff _____

Time # of waves Period # of waves per
per sec min Length (km)____________
(sec)
Width (km) ____________

Height (m)____________

Orientation____________

Sediment Characteristics
S# SH LA SA T S# SH LA SA T S# SH LA SA T
1 11 21
2 12 22
3 13 23
4 14 24
5 15 25
6 16 26
7 17 27
8 18 28
9 19 29
10 20 30
Key: S# - Sample number; SH - Shape; LA - Long Axis; SA - Short Axis; T - Rock type

Explain how this landform developed

_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
What evidence is there of man’s interference?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

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______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Give reasons for man’s interference.
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________

What is the dominant rock type in this area and how does this impact the features present?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

Slope Profile

Distance Angle of Slope Distance Angle of Slope Distance Angle of Slope

0.5m 0.5m 0.5m
1 11 21
2 12 22
3 13 23
4 14 24
5 15 25
6 16 26
7 17 27
8 18 28
9 19 29
10 20 30

Locality 4: Long Road – Portland

Make a neat, well-labelled sketch of the blowhole.

21
Wave count____________
Wave Type ____________
Wave Height____________
Wave Length____________
Prevailing Wind Direction ______ Direction of Longshore Drift _____
Height of cliff _____
Time # of waves Period # of waves per
per sec min
Length (km)____________
(sec)
Width (km) ____________

Height (m)____________

Orientation____________
Explain how this landform developed
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
What is the dominant rock type in this area and how does this impact the features present?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

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