Spits:
● Spit = an extended stretch of sand/shingle that projects out to sea and is joined to the mainland at one end
○ Form where the coastline suddenly changes shape /at the mouth of an estuary
○ Unstable landform → continues to grow until the water becomes too deep
● CASE STUDY: Hurst Castle spit, Hampshire
○ Spit approximately 4 km long
○ Mudflats and salt marshes
○ Lagoon
○ Large hook
○ Narrow, steep beach with berms and large
pebbles at the back
→ Formation:
1. Longshore drift transports sand/shingle past the
bend and deposits it in the sea
2. Strong winds and waves can curve the end of the
spit → forms a recurved end
3. The sheltered area behind the spit is protected from
waves
○ Lots of material accumulates here, so plants grow there
4. Overtime → sheltered area will become a mudflat/salt marsh
Bars:
● Bar (barrier beach bar) = formed when a spit joins two headlands together
○ Forms lagoon behind the bar
○ Bar cuts off the bay between the headlands from the sea
○ Due to longshore drift transporting
sediment from one side the bay to
another
Submerged offshore bars:
● A raised area of the seabed that lies a little
offshore
● Form in shallow waters → where there is a lot of
sediment on a beach
● Formed by the transport of sediment on and off
the beach
○ Stormy weather → destructive waves
drag beach material back out to sea to
form an offshore bar
○ Calm conditions → constructive waves
transport the sediment back towards
the shore
● Barrier islands = visible offshore bars that form
parallel to the coast , in chains, formation varies
→ Characteristics of bars:
● Bay bar
○ Some part of the barrier beach is visible at all times
■ eg/ UK’s best known bay bar; Slapton Sands, Devon
● Submerged bar
○ Often completely detached from the land
○ Parallel to the land
○ Can be several metres long
■ eg/ Poole’s beaches, Dorset
● Offshore barrier island
○ Completely detached from shore
○ Aligned parallel to shore
○ Has sand dunes, salt marshes and mudflats
■ eg/ Scolt Head barrier island, North Norfolk