Chapter 3 Coastal Classification and Morphology

Introduction a. Since ancient times, men have gone to sea in a variety of vessels to obtain food and to transport cargo and passengers to distant ports. In order to navigate safely, sailors needed an intimate knowledge of the appearance of the coast from place to place. By the time that systematic study of coastal geology and geomorphology began, there already existed a large body of observational knowledge about seacoasts in many parts of the world and a well-developed nomenclature to portray coastal landforms. Geologists in the 19th and 20th centuries described coastal landforms, examined their origin and development as a function of geologic character, history, and dynamic processes, and devised classification schemes to organize and refine their observations. b. The first part of this chapter discusses the coastal classification of Francis Shepard (1973). The second part describes specific coastal environments found around the United States following Shepard's outline. 3-2. Coa