1. Depositional coasts: Beaches and deltas

Beach

Sand-dominated coast

Section 19.2

Barrier island

Sand-dominated coast, with a water body separating the island from the mainland

Section 19.2

Delta

Formed at river mouths

Section 16.3

2. Erosional coasts: Rocky shorelines

Bedrock

Found anywhere bedrock is exposed to coastal wave energy

Section 19.2

Limestone karst

Various settings; common in Caribbean islands and in Croatia

Section 15.2

Lava flow

Various settings; found on Hawai‘i

Section 12.4

3. Organic coasts

Coral reef

Dominated by living reefs; restricted to the tropics and subtropics

Section 10.2

Mangrove

Dominated by mangroves; restricted to the tropics and subtropics

Section 10.2

Estuary

Formed where freshwater meets salt water at river mouths

Section 10.2

Anthropogenic

Includes any coast that has undergone significant modification by human activities

Chapter 10

4. Flooded coasts

Ria

Drowned V-shaped river valley; found at the mouths of rivers and where estuaries form

Section 10.2

Fjord

Drowned U-shaped glacial valley at high latitudes

Section 17.3

5. Ice coasts

Glaciers and ice shelves

Generally found at latitudes higher than 55 degrees

Chapter 17

Glacial sediments

Found where continental ice sheets deposited glacial sediments; common in northeastern Canada and northern British Isles

Section 17.4