Erosion is a fascinating geological process that takes center stage at Woodside Beach, a quaint town nestled along the expansive Ninety Mile Beach, which intriguingly stretches for 94 miles or 151 kilometers as far as the eye can see.
This remarkable stretch of shoreline boasts fine sand, composed of Holocene deposits formed less than 10,000 years ago, and calcarenite, a sedimentary rock dating back 1 to 65 million years. The sand is predominantly quartzose, with grains ranging from 1/16 mm to 2 mm in size, primarily made up of silicon dioxide.
Erosion is the primary sculptor of this picturesque landscape. Sand, a granular material composed of finely divided particles, largely consists of quartz, making it highly susceptible to natural forces. At Woodside Beach, erosion plays a pivotal role in shaping the terrain. One significant contributor to the sand composition is calcium carbonate, primarily in the form of aragonite, generated over the past 500 million years through various life processes, distinct from coral formation. Beach sand is a testament to the relentless, slow erosion of rocks near the shoreline due to the ceaseless motion of waves and the gradual accumulation of sediments.
Notably, a prominent feature along Ninety Mile Beach is the barrier sand dune, extending its entire length. These dunes are continually shaped by the relentless forces of wind and wave action. Moreover, human activities such as oil and gas extraction, as well as groundwater utilization, contribute significantly to the factual erosion of these natural formations. In an effort to combat this erosion, local efforts have included planting grass to stabilize the dunes.
Dune erosion, specifically, is a captivating facet of the overall erosion process. It occurs when sand is gradually eroded from the dunes, mainly through notching (a specific process where portions of a sand dune are carved or eroded away, creating notches or indentations in the dune's structure), avalanching, and slumping processes. At Woodside Beach, the primary cause of dune erosion is wave action and notching. This phenomenon becomes especially pronounced during full moons and king tides when sea levels rise, and all tides contribute to beach erosion as waves ebb and flow.
Additionally, the beach itself undergoes erosion, transforming flat areas into ledges as the relentless waves continually carry away sand. This dynamic, ever-changing process is a testament to the unceasing forces of erosion shaping Woodside Beach and the intriguing Ninety Mile Beach.
Now, the questions.
1. How many years does it take to form sand?
2. Things are taken from the sand to cause erosion. What are they?
3. What are the main factors eroding and shaping the barrier dunes?
4. At Woodside Beach itself, what is the primary cause of erosion.?
5. At the co ords have a look at the dune, what sort of erosion is present?
6.Standing at the co ords what do you see?
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