Coastlines of erosion and deposition
Coastal landscapes form cliffs, caves and arches. Land uses at the coast like industry and recreation and tourism can be in conflict with each other and solutions must be adopted to deal with these.
Deposition features on an OS map
Examples
Here are some examples of depositional features identifiable on a map.
Name evidence
On this extract, the term 'sands' appears at 833443, Slapton Sands. Start 'Bay' itself lies between the headlands of Start Point 8337 and Combe Point (to the north-east, off the map extract area). In Scotland, the term 'links' often indicates a sandy area along a coastline.
Shape
The shape of the coast is also a good indicator. In the above extract the smoothness of the coastline shown indicates a depositional coastline. This contrasts with the roughness of the erosional coastline area around Start Point.
Longshore drift
When sand spits appear on an OS map the direction of the longshore drift can be determined, as it will be moving towards the point where the end of the spit is being formed. Here however, the direction cannot be determined from the map as the spits have formed sand bars right across the river mouths.
Sand spits
Sand spits are fairly easy to identify on an OS map. The fact that they extend out into the water is a good way of spotting them and if you look closely, you can see the curved hook at the end.