Coastal landforms
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Rocks sticking out of the sea[edit]
Stacks[edit]
A stack is a geological landform consisting of a steep and often vertical column in the sea near a coast, formed by wave erosion.
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Apostles, Australia
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Old man of Hoy, Scotland, UK
Land under sea[edit]
Reefs[edit]
A reef is a bar of rock, sand, coral or similar material, lying beneath the surface of water.
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Johnston Island, Pacific Ocean
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New Caledonia coast, reef and mouth of river La Néra
Shoals[edit]
A shoal or sandbar (also called sandbank) is a somewhat linear landform within or extending into a body of water, typically composed of sand, silt or small pebbles.
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Sandbanks in the mouth of the Thames, North Sea
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Nordfriesland, Germany
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Uruguay, near Pando Creek
Lagoons[edit]
A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by barrier islands or reefs.
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Lagos dos Patos, Brazil
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Venice, Italy
Tidal landforms[edit]
Mudflats[edit]
Mudflats are coastal wetlands that form in intertidal areas where sediments have been deposited by tides or rivers.
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Saint Malo (France) - low tide
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Saint Malo (France) - high tide
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Mont Saint-Michel (France) - low tide
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Mont Saint-Michel (France) - high tide
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Waddenzee (Netherlands) - low tide
Beaches[edit]
A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles.
Sand and pebble beaches[edit]
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Sand beach in the Netherlands
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Beach with sand and cobbles in Ecuador
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Cobble beach in England, UK
Boulder beaches[edit]
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South Shetland Islands, Antarctica
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West Bengalen
Rock beaches[edit]
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Bruce Peninsula National Park, Canada
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Solidified lava on the beach of Pico, Azores
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Ulko-Tammio, Finland
Wave-cut platforms[edit]
A wave-cut platform is a narrow flat area that was created by erosion.
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South Wales, UK
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Étretat, France
Sea cliffs[edit]
A sea cliff is a form of coast where the action of marine waves has formed steep cliffs.
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Cliffs of Moher, Ireland
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Étretat, France
Wave-cut notches[edit]
Wave-cut notches are created by waves at the base of a cliff.
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Étretat, France
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Bonifacio, Corsica, France
Headlands[edit]
A headland is a narrow strip of land, largely surrounded by water.
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Turquoise Coast, Turkey
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Wales, UK
Spits[edit]
A spit or sandspit is a deposition bar or beach landform off coasts or lake shores.
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Veleka, Black Sea, Bulgarije
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Farewell Spit, New Zealand
Capes[edit]
A cape is a headland or a promontory of large size extending into a body of water, usually the sea.
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Lopatka Cape, Russia
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Cape Ose, Japan
Peninsulas[edit]
A peninsula is a landform surrounded by water on the majority of its border while being connected to a mainland from which it extends.
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Iberian Peninsula, (Portugal & Spain)
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Arabian Peninsula (map, 1606)
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Korean Peninsula
Coastal dunes[edit]
A coastal dune is a hill of loose sand built by aeolian processes (wind) or the flow of water, along the coast.
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The Netherlands
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Germany
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France
Inlets[edit]
An inlet is an indentation of a shoreline. From small to big:
Coves[edit]
A cove is a small type of bay.
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California, USA
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Bulgaria
Bays[edit]
A bay is a part of a sea or ocean that invades the land.
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Italy
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Honolulu, Hawaï
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Spain
Calanques[edit]
A calanque is a steep-sided valley formed within karstic regions.
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France
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France
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France
Fjords[edit]
A fjord is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by a glacier.
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Geirangerfjord, Norway
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Trollfjord, Norway
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Aurlandsfjord, Norway
Gulfs[edit]
A gulf is a large inlet from the ocean into the landmass, up to more than 100 km.
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Gulf of Bothnia, Gulf of Finland, Gulf of Riga
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Gulf of Aden
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Gulf of Mexico
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Gulf of Venezuela
Rivers at coasts[edit]
River mouths[edit]
A river mouth is the part of a river where the river debouches into a sea or an ocean.
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Palmiet, South Africa
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Uggerby A, Danmark
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Arroyo Chuy, Uruguay
Estuaries[edit]
An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea.
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Estuary mouth
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Rio Geba, Guinee-Bissau
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Ilha de Marajó, Brazil
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Barrow Harbour, Ireland (low tide)
River deltas[edit]
A river delta is a system of branches of a river before it flows into the sea or into a large lake.
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Alaska, USA
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Amazon Delta, Brazil
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Indus River Delta, Pakistan
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Volga Delta, Russia