Coastal Erosion: La Playa Loca

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Erosion is when the elements such as wind, water, and ice remove pieces of land. (“What is Coastal Erosion?”) Coastal Erosion takes place when destructive waves wear parts of the coast away. Four ways in which this takes place are corrasion/abrasion, hydraulic action, attrition, and corrosion/solution. (“Internet Geography”) Corrasion/abrasion is when materials are hurled at the base of cliffs through waves. Hydraulic action is when waves hit the base of a cliff and air is compacted, when the wave leaves air is rushed out and often this causes the material to break. Attrition is when the waves cause rocks and pebbles to smash into each other and eventually break into pieces. Finally, Corrosion/solution is when certain types of cliff erode from the result of acids in the sea. (“Internet Geography”) Coastal Erosion is the natural process of taking land away permanently from one place to put it somewhere else. (“What is Coastal Erosion?”) Eroding coastlines are an abundant and important topic because it can change people’s surroundings in a negative way. I would like to address the questions surrounding Coastal Erosion.

All coastlines are not eroding because coastal land and sediments are constantly changing. The waves that move sand on the coast can sometimes erode sand in one place while disposing it onto a different beach. That beach would not be directly experiencing erosion therefore not all coastlines are eroding. (“Coasts in Crisis”) In this way geologists can tell if a beach is truly eroding by taking notice of the mass of the beach. When erosion is taking place it is clear to see that the beach is continually getting smaller due to the fact that the sand is being taken away and never being replenished. There are various n...

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