Spit
Topic: Landforms and their Evolution: Rivers, Groundwater, Glaciers, Waves and Wind · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 6 "Landforms and their Evolution"
Meaning
A spit is a long, narrow ridge of sand or shingle. One end is attached to the land, a headland or one side of a bay. The other end sticks out into open water. A longshore current, which flows along the shore, carries sand along the coast and drops it where the coastline turns. This builds the spit outward. A spit can grow across a bay and help turn the water behind it into a lagoon.
Example
The Kakinada spit lies on the Godavari delta in Andhra Pradesh. NCERT names it as an example of a spit.
Don't confuse with
- Tombolo: this bar links an island to the mainland, so both ends are attached. Only one end of a spit is attached.
- Barrier bar: this runs along the coast away from the shore and is not tied to the land at one end.