Siliciclastic Transitional Environments:

Beach & Barrier Island Systems

Which of these environments will co-exist depends on:
Coastal Morphology: broad shallow / narrow deep continental shelves
Wave influence
Tidal influence
Sediment influx
Climate
 Mainland Beaches Barrier Beaches
Beaches Mainland beaches are long, Barrier-island beaches are similar
narrow accumulations of sand to mainland beaches but are
aligned parallel to the shoreline separated from land by a shallow
and attached to land. lagoon, estuary, or marsh.
Cliffs Bodies of beach sand are typically They are also commonly
cut across here and there by dissected by tidal channels or
headlands and sea cliffs, inlets.
estuaries, river deltas, tidal
inlets, bays, and lagoons

Barrier Beach
Mainland Beach
Depositional Setting

Beach and barrier-island complexes are best developed on

wave-dominated coasts where tidal range is small to moderate.
Coasts are classified on the basis of tidal range into three
groups:
1) Microtidal (0-2 m tidal range),
2)Mesotidal (2-4 m tidal range),
3)Macrotidal (>4 m tidal range).
 Types of Beaches
Deposits of the beach and barrier-island environment can occur as one
of the following:
Mainland Beach: a single beach attached to the mainland
a broader beach-ridge system that constitutes a strand plain that consists of multiple
parallel beach ridges and parallel swales but that generally lacks well-developed lagoons or
marshes
a barrier island separated wholly or partly from the mainland by a lagoon or marsh
A type of strand plain consisting of sandy ridges elongated along the coast and separated by
coastal mudflat deposits is called a chenier plain.
Types of Beaches
Deposits of the beach and barrier-island environment can
occur as one of the following:
Mainland Beach: a single beach attached to the mainland
Types of Beaches
Deposits of the beach and barrier-island environment can
occur as one of the following:
a broader beach-ridge system that constitutes a strand plain that
consists of multiple parallel beach ridges and parallel swales but that
generally lacks well-developed lagoons or marshes.

Strand Plains
Subenvironments
Deposits of the beach and barrier-island environment can
occur as one of the following:
a barrier island separated wholly or partly from the mainland by a
lagoon or marsh.
Types of Beaches
Deposits of the beach and barrier-island environment can
occur as one of the following:
A type of strand plain consisting of sandy ridges elongated along the
coast and separated by coastal mudflat deposits is called a chenier
plain.
Barrier Island Complex
Complex sedimentary systems with a variety of subenvironments

the mainland,
a backbarrier lagoon,
barrier island,
inlets and inlet deltas,
barrier platform, and
the shoreface
Microtidal, wave-dominated barrier islands, Texas

Back-Barrier Lagoon

Barrier Island
Tidal
Inlet
30 km

Tidal
Inlet
Mesotidal, tide-dominated barrier islands (Savannah, GA)

Back-Barrier Tidal Flat

Barrier Island

10 km
Barrier Island
Meso- to macrotidal barrier islands (Brazil)
10 km
Barrier Island

Back-Barrier Mangrove Swamp

Prograding barrier islands, Gulf of Carpentaria
(Australia)

5 km

Prograding Barrier Island

Arid Back-Barrier Tidal Flat

Microtidal barriers are rarely overtopped by high tides, so tidal channels rare;
dominance by wave processes (washover lobes and flood tidal deltas) instead

Tidal Range <2 m 2-4 m >4 m

Washover fans are common constituents of microtidal, storm-influenced
barriers
Form by storm surge deposition of sand in the back-barrier or lagoon
Mesotidal barriers are more frequently overtopped by high tides; have
more numerous tidal inlets and dominance by tidal currents

Tidal Range
<2 m 2-4 m >4 m
Tidal deltas and inlet are present in all barrier islands but more
numerous (and more important in rock record) as tidal range
increases

Ebb tidal delta

Flood tidal delta

Migrating tidal inlet

 Tidal inlet

Tidal inlet
Incoming (flood) current fastest on margins
Outgoing (ebb) current fastest in channel base
Rapid lateral migration due to erosion Deep channels, slow lateral migration
and longshore sediment drift
 Tidal inlet
ravinement may
erode flood tidal
delta and lagoon
sediments

In retrograding barrier islands,

shoreface wave ravinement
surface typically removes
beach and dune facies
 Questionaire
1) With illustration define the various components of beach system and its deposits.
2) State how mainland beaches differ from beaches of Barrier Islands.
3) Describe the different types of beaches.
4) State the factors that contribute to the formation of the Barrier Bar complex.
5) What are washover fans?
6) Describe the sequence of flood tidal inlet in a barrier bar system
7) Describe the sequence of ebb tidal inlet in a barrier bar system.
References
Allen, J.R.L., 1984. Sedimentary structures, their characters, and physical basis: Developments in
Sedimentology; Elsevier Scientific Publications, Amsterdam; 30A, 593p; 30B, 663p.
Collinson, J.D., Thompson, D.B., 1982. Sedimentary structures. George Allen & Unwin, London.
Dalrymple, R.W., 1992. Tidal depositional systems. In: Walker, R.G.,James, N.P. (Eds.), Facies
Models: Response to Sea Level Change. Geological Association of Canada, St. John's, pp. 195218.
Gerhard Einsele (1992) Sedimentary Basins: Evolution, Facies and Sediment Budget. ISBN 3-540-
54743-6; Springer Verlag, Berlin, 1992; 628 p., 269
Reading, H.G. & Collinson, J.D. (1996) Clastic coasts. In: Sedimentary Environments: Processes,
Facies and Stratigraphy (Ed. Reading, H.G.). Blackwell Science, Oxford; 154231.
Reineck, H.E & Singh, I.B. (1980) Depositional Sedimentary Environments With Reference to
Terrigenous Clastics. ISBN: 978-3-540-10189-5.
Nichols, Gary. Sedimentology and stratigraphy 2nd ed.
http://www.terapeak.com/worth/palm-island-florida-barrier-island-home-site-land-no-reserve-
pirates-treasure/131595991130/
http://ksuweb.kennesaw.edu/~jdirnber/oceanography/LecuturesOceanogr/LecWaves/LecWav
es.html