Find out more about landforms of coastal deposition.

Onshore winds (winds blowing inland from the sea) cause the formation of sand dunes at the back of a beach. Sand is deposited by the wind around an object such as a rock, forming embryo dunes. Over time, vegetation such as marram grass stabilises the sand dunes forming foredunes. As the vegetation around the foredunes decomposes nutrients are released and soil begins to form. A wider range of plants are then able to colonise the dunes.

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Beaches, sand dunes, spits and bars.

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The beach is the area between the lowest spring tide level and the point reached by the storm waves in the highest tides.

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A bar is a ridge of sand or single that joins two headlands either side of a bay.

Find out more about landforms of coastal deposition.