Editing Coast (section)

== In geology ==
The identification of bodies of rock formed from sediments deposited in shoreline and nearshore environments (shoreline and nearshore ''[[Facies (geology)|facies]]'') is extremely important to geologists. These provide vital clues for reconstructing the geography of ancient continents (''[[paleogeography]]''). The locations of these beds show the extent of ancient seas at particular points in geological time, and provide clues to the magnitudes of tides in the distant past.<ref name=Leeder2011>{{cite book |last1=Leeder |first1=M. R. |title=Sedimentology and sedimentary basins: from turbulence to tectonics |date=2011 |publisher=Wiley-Blackwell |location=Chichester, West Sussex, UK |isbn=978-1-4051-7783-2 |edition=2nd |pages=436–437}}</ref>

Sediments deposited in the [[shoreface]] are preserved as lenses of [[sandstone]] in which the upper part of the sandstone is coarser than the lower part (a ''coarsening upwards sequence''). Geologists refer to these are ''[[parasequence]]s''. Each records an episode of retreat of the ocean from the shoreline over a period of 10,000 to 1,000,000 years. These often show [[Lamination (geology)|laminations]] reflecting various kinds of tidal cycles.<ref name=Leeder2011/>

Some of the best-studied shoreline deposits in the world are found along the former western shore of the [[Western Interior Seaway]], a shallow sea that flooded central North America during the [[late Cretaceous]] [[Period (geology)|Period]] (about 100 to 66 million years ago). These are beautifully exposed along the [[Book Cliffs]] of [[Utah]] and [[Colorado]].{{sfn|Blatt|Middleton|Murray|1980|pp=673-674}}

===Geologic processes===
The following articles describe the various geologic processes that affect a coastal zone:
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* [[Attrition (weathering)|Attrition]]
* [[Ocean current|Currents]]
* [[Denudation]]
* [[Deposition (geology)|Deposition]]
* [[Erosion]]
* [[Flood]]ing
* [[Longshore drift]]
* [[Marine sediments]]
* [[Saltation (geology)|Saltation]]
* [[Sea level change]]
** [[eustatic]]
** [[isostasy|isostatic]]
* [[Sedimentation]]
* [[Coastal sediment supply]]
** [[sediment transport]]
** [[Solution (chemistry)|solution]]
** [[subaerial]] processes
** [[Suspension (chemistry)|suspension]]
* [[Tide]]s
* [[Wind wave|Water waves]]
** [[diffraction]]
** [[refraction]]
** [[wave breaking]]
** [[wave shoaling]]
* [[Weathering]]
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