Highlights

High-energy rocky coasts are shaped by low-frequency, high-magnitude events.  McKenna et al. describe a previously unrecognized deposit, storm swash terraces, formed by landward transport of sediment from cliffs, beach, and marine sources to the area with final dissipation of wave energy; between storms, these areas are stabilized by vegetation.  Coasts with these types of deposits may provide a unique historical record of high-energy storms.

Storm Swash Terraces: A Previously Overlooked Element of the Cliff-Shore Platform System by John McKenna, J. Andrew G. Cooper, and Derek W. T. Jackson