The coast is the land along a sea. The boundary of a coast, where land meets water, is called the coastline. Waves, tides, and currents help create coastlines. When waves crash onto shore, they wear away at, or erode, the land.
Coasts have many different features, such as caves and cliffs, beaches and mudflats. Tides, waves, and water currents (flow) shape the land to form these coastal features. Some coasts are also changed by the flow of glaciers, which are huge rivers of ice, and lava from volcanoes.
Types of Coastlines
RIA COASTS AND FIORD COASTS. Coastlines of submergence include ria coasts and fiord coasts. ... BARRIER-ISLAND COASTS. The barrier-island coast is associated with a recently emerged coastal plain. ... DELTA COASTS. ... VOLCANO AND CORAL-REEF COASTS. ... FAULT COASTS. ... RAISED SHORELINES AND MARINE TERRACES.