Coastline Features Flashcards
Atoll
A ring shaped coral reef surrounding a lagoon. It may have low sand islands. Atolls rest on submerged volcanic islands.
Bay
An inlet of the sea; an indentation in the shoreline often between head lands or capes
Cape
A large point or extension of land jutting into a body of water. A cape may be a peninsula or a hook of land.
Channel
A deeper part of a river or harbor that is navigable.
Delta
Usually triangular deposit of sediment at the mouth of a river (flowing water).
Estuary
A river mouth or channel, or the drowned seaward end of a valley where freshwater from land mixes with sea water.
Archipelago
A large group of islands formed by the same geological process.
Isthmus
A narrow strip of land connecting to larger landmasses.
Lagoon
A shallow body of relatively quiet water almost completely cut off from the open ocean by coral reefs, barrier islands, or barrier beaches.
Peninsula
A piece of land almost completely surrounded by water. It is usually connected to a larger land body by a narrow land strip called a neck or isthmus.
Shoal
An area of the ocean, such as a sandbar, that is too shallow to navigate.
Strait
A long, narrow water passages connecting to larger bodies of water.
