While most people go to the beach to relax and have fun, this EarthCache will help you learn while you are here as well! Ever wonder if human interference of geology makes things better or worse? Or is that just me? Either way, that is what you will do at this location on the beach. One side of the pier has a breakwater and the other side is natural. You will be able to compare 2 different beaches on 2 sides of the pier to see the differences happening just feet apart from each other.
Your logging tasks:
- Compare the beach face on each side of the pier. Explain why you think this is happening.
- Does the wrack line look the same?
- Compare the backshore of both beaches. Which one do you think is depositing more? How do you know this?
- Post a picture of yourself (face not required) or a personal item near the beach or pier.
As you walk from the street to the beach, the first part of the beach that you will see is the backshore. This part of the beach is typically dry. The sand at Waikiki Beach is white sand that is made up of shell fragments and coral pieces.
Next you will see the foreshore where you will see the effects of the ocean water meeting the shore. The beach face is where the sand slopes toward the water and will be covered by the high tide and low tide cycles. You will be able to see the erosion and deposition of the beaches in this zone.
The upper part of the swash zone is where the debris from the erosion of the water will be washed ashore and collected. You can see shells, broken corals, plants and even animals here. This is also known as the wrack line that is more visible on some beaches than others.
In summary:
- Swash zone is alternately covered and exposed by the waves.
- Beach face is the sloping section below the berm that is exposed to the swash of the waves.
- Wrack line is the highest reach of the daily tides that collects the debris
- Berm is the mostly horizontal section that stays dry and may have dunes
To complete this EarthCache, please send me your answers to the following questions:
- Compare the beach face on each side of the pier. Explain why you think this is happening.
- Does the wrack line look the same?
- Compare the backshore of both beaches. Which one do you think is depositing more? How do you know this?
- Post a picture of yourself (face not required) or a personal item near the beach or pier.
Sources: Wikipedia, BCcampus opentext, personal knowledge