Name: Tariek Cotterell Topic: Wave action School: Titchfield High School Centre Number: 100121 Candidate Number

Territory: amaica

Title of Study: To identify and account for the formation of coa!tal feature! along the "airy Hill #ay$

Table of Content
Content Page
1 ' * , 11' 1*

%ocation of &rea Study &im of Study (ethod of )ata Collection +re!entation and &naly!i! of )ata Conclu!ion #ibliography &ppendi.

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Location of Study Area

The area cho!en for field !tudy /a! conducted along the Winifred beach coa!tline$ 0t i!

located in the pari!h of +ortland 1!ee map 22$ 0t i! !ituated on the out !kirt! of the fairy hill garden! community ea!t of the pari!h capital3 +ort &ntonio$ 0t i! bet/een +ort &ntonio and the community of fairy hill$ The !tudy area i! appro.imately 4 mile! from the pari!h Capital$

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Aim of Study
To identify and account for the formation of coa!tal feature! along the "airy Hill #ay$

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Method of data Collection

5n the 26th of )ecember 20123 the re!earcher and hi! colleague /ent on a field !tudy at the north ea!t coa!tal !ection of amaica3 at "airy Hill #ay$ 5n arriving at the !ite3 dutie! /ere divided evenly bet/een the re!earcher and hi! colleague$ The re!earcher fir!t identified the variou! coa!tal feature!3 recorded relevant information3 took picture! of the variou! feature! !een3 and identified the type of rock pre!ent$ The re!earcher7! colleague made !ketche! of the !tudy area3 and !ketche! of f coa!tal feature! !uch a! the beach 8one al!o collected !ample! of !hell!3 pebble! and rock! from variou! area! of the !tudy area$ The re!earcher then proceeded to mea!ure the beach 8one /ith the aid of !tring3 mea!uring tape and recorded the mea!urement!$ The re!earcher then found the fre9uency of the /ave!3 /hich /a! recorded /ith the aid of a !top/atch$ The direction of the /ave! /a! al!o taken by floating a ball and noting the direction it travelled in relation to the beach$ The data collected /a! pooled and analy8ed$ :eography te.t /ere al!o con!ulted for information a! to ho/ and /hy certain feature! /ere formed and the characteri!tic! of collected pebble! and rock!$

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Presentation and Analysis of Data

The po/er of /ave! i! one of the mo!t !ignificant force! of coa!tal change$ Wave! are created by /ind blo/ing over the !urface of the !ea$ &! the /ind blo/! over the !ea3 friction i! created ; producing a !/ell in the /ater$ The energy of the /ind cau!e! /ater particle! to rotate in!ide the !/ell and thi! move! the /ave for/ard$ Wave! can be de!tructive or con!tructive$ When a /ave
break!3 /ater i! /a!hed up the beach ; thi! i! called the !/a!h$ Then the /ater run! back do/n the beach ; thi! i! called the back/a!h$ With a con!tructive /ave3 the !/a!h i! !tronger than the back/a!h$ With a de!tructive /ave3 the back/a!h i! !tronger than the !/a!h$ )epo!ition i! a!!ociated /ith Con!tructive /ave!3 /hile /ave ero!ion i! a!!ociated /ith de!tructive /ave!$ The !tudy area a! !ho/n in "ig1 ha! many coa!tal feature!$ The feature! /ere cau!ed mainly by /ave ero!ion$ The feature! found are a! follo/!: 1. Headland; 5n the /e!tern !ide of the !tudy area a! !een in figure$ 0 and plate$1 belo/3 there i! a headland /hich help! to enclo!e the beach area$ The headland al!o end! in a cliff /hich i! compo!ed of different rock !trata 3 /hich include! !hale and lime!tone$ #oth /ere identified by a rock !ample chart$
Cliff face of different rock strata

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Plate showing headland in the west

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The headland re!ulted from many year! of /ave ero!ion and land !lip! /here the rock !trata /ere /eake!t$ Hence3 the more re!i!tant !ection! of land !tood out3 pro<ecting to/ard! the !ea /ith a !lightly !teep cliff !ide3 thu! forming the headland !ho/n above$ The headland /a! mo!t likely eroded by Hydraulic action 1thi! i! the mechanical loo!ening and removal of material! by the force of the /ave!2 or Corro!ion 1thi! i! the removal of mineral! !uch a! chalk and lime!tone from the coa!tline2$ Corro!ion /a! !u!pected a! the rock !trata /ere mainly made up of lime!tone$ The rock compo!ition i! !ho/n belo/$

Figure showing rock composition of headland

2. Cliff!; Several cliff! /ere identified along the coa!t line3 they are mainly concentrated on

the /e!tern !ide of the !tudy area$ Thi! can be !een in the !ketch of the !tudy area or in the plate a! !ho/n belo/$ They /ere formed by /ave ero!ion and the difference in the re!i!tance of the !trata eg$ The upper !trata /a! le!! re!i!tant !o eroded more than the lo/er !trata re!ulting in a !ea/ard dip

Notch

Plate showing cliff face to the west

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The cliff! /ere mo!t likely eroded by the !heer force of the /ave! cra!hing again!t the cliff face 1hydraulic action2
3. Stack! and !tump!; The!e /ere found i!olated in the !ea on the /e!tern !ide of the !tudy

area$ The formation proce!! u!ually begin! /hen the !ea attack! !mall crack! in a headland and open! them$ The crack! then gradually get larger and turn into a !mall cave$ When the cave /ear! through the headland3 an arch form!$ "urther ero!ion cau!e! the arch to collap!e3 leaving the pillar of hard rock !tanding a/ay from the coa!t ; the !tack$ =ventually3 ero!ion /ill cau!e the !tack to collap!e3 leaving a !tump$ Stump! u!ually form a !mall rock i!land3 lo/ enough for a high tide to !ubmerge$ They are a! !ho/n belo/

Stack

Plate showing stack

Stump being formed from stack

Stump

Plate showing stacks and stumps

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The !tack! and !tump! /ere mo!t likely the re!ult from Hydraulic action and Corra!ion due to the !harp and <agged edge! pre!ent$
4. Cave!; & !ingle cave /a! found in the /e!tern !ection of the !tudy area on the !ide of

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one of the many cliff face!$ The Cave mo!t likely occurred /hen /ave! force their /ay into crack! in the cliff face$ The /ater contain! !and and other material! that grind a/ay at the rock until the crack! become a cave$ The predominant proce!! i! hydraulic action$ The cave i! illu!trated belo/

Cave along cliff base

Plate showing cave

5. #ay; The bay /a! found in the central 8one of the !tudy area3 it i! !urrounded by t/o

headland! that <ot out into the !ea$ The bay /a! formed /hen the /eaker rock! of the coa!tline /ere eroded and left the !tronger rock! headland!$ The bay i! the mo!t noticeable feature a! it hou!e! mo!t of the other coa!tal feature!$ The bay i! !ho/n belo/$
a! Headlands

Plate showing headlands and bay

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&ll four coa!tal proce!!e! 1Hydraulic &ction3 Corra!ion3 &ttrition3 and Corro!ion2 /ere involved in the formation of the bay. 5ne coa!tal feature /a! formed a! a re!ult of con!tructive /ave:
1. #each > The beach 8one of the !tudy area i! a re!ult of depo!ition of !and particle! along

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the coa!tline a! !ho/n in fig -$ The !and ha! built up to form !and ridge!$ There are other material! depo!ited here including rounded pebble!3 !hell!3 coral! and marine vegetation of different !i8e! at different location! a! !ho/n in fig ' /ith a large amount of the above !hingle material concentrated to the /e!tern !ide of the beach 8one$ The beach /a! formed on !lightly !loping ground along /ith the con!tructive /ave action of thi! area$ The fre9uency of the /ave! i! 4;10 /ave! per minute3 !o the back/a!h /hich i! !lo/er than the !/a!h get! ade9uate time to complete it! retreat !o more material! mainly !and particle! are depo!ited rather than eroded$ &! a re!ult !and accumulate! along the coa!tline forming the beach$

Figure showing Sketch of active beach zone

The !and ridge! !ho/n in fig - /ere formed a! a re!ult from high tide! and unu!ually !trong /ave! from /ind!$ )uring high tide !trong /ave! are occurring3 !o /ater reache! further inland$ &! a re!ult !and i! depo!ited further up the beach$ (aterial! !uch a! pebble!3 !hell! and marine vegetation /ere found along the beach through the proce!! of long !hore drift !ince the /ave! break obli9uely /hile the back/a!h retreat!

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perpendicularly to the !hore$ Thu! material! carried by the !/a!h and back/a!h of /ave! move along the beach

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rain S tructure S i.e "aterials #estern S ection $ astern S ection #estern S ection $ astern S ection % ocks S hells (ebbles C orals C oarse 'ine 'ine )rounded* Not present C oarse C oarse 'ine )rounded* C oarse 14 cm 4.5 cm + cm not present & cm 5 cm , cm 2 cm

Table showing material found along the beach zone

The type of beach identified i! a bay head beach3 it! formation i! !ummari8ed in the flo/chart belo/

12 H$10 $1CH 13 #4NN4'%$0

0eposition b! /aves Sand is deposited b!... Shingles are deposited b!... $rosion b! /aves

Constructive /aves taking eroded material t o the site $rosion at cliffs along outcropping 5ong shore drift s/eeps sediments along the coastline
'lo/chart 1 sho/ing formation of ba! head beach

0estructive /aves erode beach sediments during storm /eather

Sediments lost...

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Conclusion
The /ork of the !ea re!ulted in mo!t if not all of the coa!tal feature! identified along the Winifred coa!tline or fairy hill bay$ There /ere both ero!ional and depo!itional feature! along the !tudy area$ The ratio of ero!ional feature! to depo!itional feature! i! 6:1 indicating that /ave ero!ion i! dominant to depo!ition$ The four form! of coa!tal ero!ional proce!!e! /ere !een$ 0n the /e!t there i! the headland3 cliff!3 !tack! ? !tump! and cave all due to /ave ero!ion$ The beach 8one /a! formed in the middle of the bay3 making it a bay head beach$ The beach /a! formed becau!e of the depo!ition of !and due to the con!tructive /ave nature of /ith a fre9uency of 4;10 /ave! per minute in!ide the bay and 10;12 at the headland! /ere the ero!ional feature! /ere formed$ The con!tructive /ave! cau!ed the depo!ition of other material! !uch a! !hingle!3 pebble! and !hell!$ The de!tructive /ave! cau!ed the ero!ion of the land and formed feature! !uch a! the bay and cliff!$ The coa!tline i! con!tantly changing /ith the movement of each /ave3 overtime the coa!tline /ill recede land/ard!$

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#ibliography
1. :illet3 ack: "ield/ork Studie! in geography3 %ongman @$A3 1B46 2. (c%ei!h3 &ndre/: :eology3 #lackie and Son %td$ :la!go/3 1B46 3. Cahil3 Don (: Ne/ Caribbean :eography /ith CEC 9ue!tion! 3 5.ford univer!ity +re!!

1BB'
4. Wil!on (ack: Caribbean =nvironmental :eography for CEC 3 5.ford @niver!ity pre!!3

1BB' amaica: 1:2*000

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Appendix
Features
Headland Arch Cli Ca!e "tac# %a!e&Cut$Plat or' (nlet )each "tu'* )a+ )lo,$Hole Co!e $

Yes

No