Definition
A rocky shore is a coastline that is dominated by outcrops of consolidated geology. All rock types can form a rocky shore. The essential difference between hard (rocky) and soft shores is whether rocks or unconsolidated sediment forms the primary landforms.
Description
Rocky coasts are erosional environments and are a source of sediment for the surrounding landscape. There are three broad types of rocky shores: plunging cliffs, type A shore platforms, and type B shore platforms (Sunamura, 1992). Plunging cliffs are vertical or semi-vertical faces where their base occurs in deep water. Shore platforms are ledges that occur at the base of cliffs and either form a seaward sloping ramp (type A) or are semi-horizontal with a distinct break in slope and vertical face at their seaward edge (type B). Rocky shore evolution is driven by both marine and subaerial processes (Kennedy et al., 2011). Where the former dominates, cliffs tend to be vertical in profile while the latter...
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Bibliography
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Kennedy, D. M., Paulik, R., and Dickson, M. E., 2011. Subaerial weathering versus wave processes in shore platform development: reappraising the Old Hat Island evidence. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 36, 686–694.
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© 2016 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
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Kennedy, D.M. (2016). Rocky Shore. In: Kennish, M.J. (eds) Encyclopedia of Estuaries. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-8801-4_342
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-8801-4_342
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