Cross-references
Emergent Shoreline
Estuarine Habitat Restoration
Herbivorous Grazers
Intertidal Zonation
Littoral Zone
Macroalgae
Predator–Prey Relationships
ROCKY SHORE
David M. Kennedy
Department of Resource Management & Geography,
The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
Definition
A rocky shore is a coastline that is dominated by outcrops
of consolidated geology. All rock types can form a rocky
shore. The essential difference between hard (rocky) and
soft shores is whether rocks or unconsolidated sediment
forms the primary landforms.
Description
Rocky coasts are erosional environments and are a source
of sediment for the surrounding landscape. There are three
broad types of rocky shores: plunging cliffs, type A shore
platforms, and type B shore platforms (Sunamura, 1992).
Plunging cliffs are vertical or semi-vertical faces where
their base occurs in deep water. Shore platforms are ledges
that occur at the base of cliffs and either form a seaward
sloping ramp (type A) or are semi-horizontal with
a distinct break in slope and vertical face at their seaward
edge (type B). Rocky shore evolution is driven by both
marine and subaerial processes (Kennedy et al., 2011).
Where the former dominates, cliffs tend to be vertical in
profile while the latter produces more convex profiles
(Emery and Kuhn, 1982). The evolution of rocky shores
is primarily related to the erodability of the rock structure
in which they are cut (Stephenson et al., 2013), and as
a result in harder lithologies, rocky shore morphology
may evolve over multiple eustatic sea-level cycles
(Trenhaile, 1987; Trenhaile, 2001).
Bibliography
Emery, K. O., and Kuhn, G. G., 1982. Sea cliffs: their processes,
profiles and classification. Geological Society of America
Bulletin, 93, 644–654.
Kennedy, D. M., Paulik, R., and Dickson, M. E., 2011. Subaerial
weathering versus wave processes in shore platform development: reappraising the Old Hat Island evidence. Earth Surface
Processes and Landforms, 36, 686–694.
Stephenson, W. J., Dickson, M. E., and Trenhaile, A. S., 2013. Rock
coasts. In Sherman, D. (ed.), Coastal Geomorphology. San
Diego: Academic Press.
Sunamura, T., 1992. Geomorphology of Rocky Coasts. Chichester:
Wiley.
Trenhaile, A. S., 1987. The Geomorphology of Rock Coasts.
Oxford: Clarendon Press.
Trenhaile, A. S., 2001. Modelling the Quaternary evolution of shore
platforms and erosional continental shelves. Earth Surface
Processes and Landforms, 26, 1103–1128.
Cross-references
Emergent Shoreline
Shoreline
Shoreline Changes
Submergent Shoreline
ROCKY SHORE
511
Emergent Shoreline
Estuarine Habitat Restoration
Herbivorous Grazers
Intertidal Zonation
Littoral Zone
Macroalgae
Predator–Prey Relationships
ROCKY SHORE
David M. Kennedy
Department of Resource Management & Geography,
The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
Definition
A rocky shore is a coastline that is dominated by outcrops
of consolidated geology. All rock types can form a rocky
shore. The essential difference between hard (rocky) and
soft shores is whether rocks or unconsolidated sediment
forms the primary landforms.
Description
Rocky coasts are erosional environments and are a source
of sediment for the surrounding landscape. There are three
broad types of rocky shores: plunging cliffs, type A shore
platforms, and type B shore platforms (Sunamura, 1992).
Plunging cliffs are vertical or semi-vertical faces where
their base occurs in deep water. Shore platforms are ledges
that occur at the base of cliffs and either form a seaward
sloping ramp (type A) or are semi-horizontal with
a distinct break in slope and vertical face at their seaward
edge (type B). Rocky shore evolution is driven by both
marine and subaerial processes (Kennedy et al., 2011).
Where the former dominates, cliffs tend to be vertical in
profile while the latter produces more convex profiles
(Emery and Kuhn, 1982). The evolution of rocky shores
is primarily related to the erodability of the rock structure
in which they are cut (Stephenson et al., 2013), and as
a result in harder lithologies, rocky shore morphology
may evolve over multiple eustatic sea-level cycles
(Trenhaile, 1987; Trenhaile, 2001).
Bibliography
Emery, K. O., and Kuhn, G. G., 1982. Sea cliffs: their processes,
profiles and classification. Geological Society of America
Bulletin, 93, 644–654.
Kennedy, D. M., Paulik, R., and Dickson, M. E., 2011. Subaerial
weathering versus wave processes in shore platform development: reappraising the Old Hat Island evidence. Earth Surface
Processes and Landforms, 36, 686–694.
Stephenson, W. J., Dickson, M. E., and Trenhaile, A. S., 2013. Rock
coasts. In Sherman, D. (ed.), Coastal Geomorphology. San
Diego: Academic Press.
Sunamura, T., 1992. Geomorphology of Rocky Coasts. Chichester:
Wiley.
Trenhaile, A. S., 1987. The Geomorphology of Rock Coasts.
Oxford: Clarendon Press.
Trenhaile, A. S., 2001. Modelling the Quaternary evolution of shore
platforms and erosional continental shelves. Earth Surface
Processes and Landforms, 26, 1103–1128.
Cross-references
Emergent Shoreline
Shoreline
Shoreline Changes
Submergent Shoreline
ROCKY SHORE
511