By:Nii Adjei

Erosion Landforms: Headlands And Bays

Headlands and bays are often found on the same coastline. A bay is surrounded by land on three sides, whereas a headland is surrounded by water on three sides. Headlands are characterized by high, breaking waves, rocky shores, intense erosion, and steep sea cliffs. Bays generally have less wave (and often wind) activity than the water outside the bay, and typically have sandy beaches. Headlands and bays form on coastlines, where there are alternating outcrops of resistant(harder) and less resistant(softer) rock.

Headlands And Bays

Formation Of Headlands And Bays

Due to the presence of soft and hard rock, erosion occurs, with the soft, less resistant rock (e.g. shale), eroding quicker than the hard, resistant rock (e.g. chalk)Where the erosion of the soft rock is rapid, bays are formed. Where there is more resistant rock, erosion is slower and the hard rock is left sticking out into the sea as a headland. The exposed headland now becomes vulnerable to the force of destructive waves but shelters the adjacent bays from further erosion.

The foreland

The Swanage Bay

The Dorset coast : Swanage Bay and the Foreland (a headland)

A Video On The Formation Of Headlands And Bays.