8.4.2. Beaches

Beaches are the most familiar of all the coastal landforms. They are the main feature of deposition found along the coast. They consist of all the material (sand etc.) built up between the high and low tide mark (High tide is highest level of tide while low tide is lowest level of tide). There are a number of different sources of beach material. Rivers are the main source as fine mud and gravel are deposited at the mouth of a river. Other sources of beach material include constructive waves (bringing material up the beach from the sea) and cliff erosion. Beaches are temporary features. Beaches called shingle beaches contain excessively small pebbles and even cobbles. Marina Beach of Chennai and Kovalam Beach of Thiruvananthapuram are the famous beaches of India.