Beach
Topic: Landforms and their Evolution: Rivers, Groundwater, Glaciers, Waves and Wind · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 6 "Landforms and their Evolution"
Meaning
A beach is a deposit of sand or pebbles along the shore. It forms on coasts where deposition is stronger than erosion. The material comes from rivers and from the waves wearing away the land. Beaches are temporary. A sandy beach may shrink to a narrow strip of pebbles in another season, when stronger waves take the sand away. Shingle beaches have pebbles and cobbles, which are larger rounded stones. Sand dunes, piled up by wind, often lie behind beaches and run parallel to the shore.
Example
Marina Beach in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, is a long sandy beach on the low east coast of India. Rivers and the waves of the Bay of Bengal supply its sand.
Don't confuse with
- Offshore bar: this is a sand ridge under water, away from the coast. A beach lies on the shore itself.