Emergent coast
Also called: Emergent coastline, Emerged coast, Low sedimentary coast · Topic: Landforms and their Evolution: Rivers, Groundwater, Glaciers, Waves and Wind · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 2 "Structure and Physiography"; Class 11, Ch 6 "Landforms and their Evolution"
Meaning
An emergent coast forms where the land has risen or the sea level has fallen. This exposes part of the old shallow sea floor as new land. The result is a low, smooth, gently sloping shore. It has broad coastal plains, deltas, lagoons, bars and marshes. Deposition (laying down of sand and mud) is the main process here, not erosion. Because the sea is shallow near the shore, there are few good natural harbours. NCERT calls this a low sedimentary coast.
Example
India's east coast between the Mahanadi and Kaveri deltas is a low sedimentary coast, the type NCERT describes. It has wide plains, the large deltas of the Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri, and lagoons such as Chilika in Odisha.
Don't confuse with
- Submergent coast: a submergent coast forms where the land sank or the sea rose. It is high, rocky and deeply indented, and erosion dominates there.
Related concepts
- Submergent coast
- Ria coast
- Longshore current
- Coastal erosion
- Sea cliff
- Wave-cut platform
- Sea cave
- Sea arch
- Sea stack