Page 89 - (DK) Ocean - The Definitive Visual Guide

COASTS INCLUDE SOME of the most
beautiful, but also some of the most rapidly

changing, places on Earth. There are a great

many forms that they can take—from cliffs
composed of anything from limestone to

lava, to beaches, spits, and barrier islands,

river deltas, estuaries, and tidal flats.

Each coast has its own unique history of

formation, brought about by processes
such as land rise and fall, sea-level change,

glacial and volcanic action, and marine

erosion and deposition. On and around
these coasts, a variety of habitat types—

ranging from sandy coastal dunes to salt

marshes, coastal lagoons, and, in the tropics,

mangrove swamps—are shaped by the

interaction of tidal flows, breaking waves,
discharge of river sediment, and a variety

of biological and human-induced processes.

COASTS AND THE SEASHORE

SANDSTONE COAST
This dramatic Australian coastline consists
of eroded sandstone strata beautifully
shaped and sculpted by an azure sea.