Unravelling the factors that influence sedimentology of backbeaches is complex because of they are shaped by a multitude of depositional and post-depositional influences. To better understand these regions, Cooper et al. document backbeach deflation aprons of sandy beaches along approximately 475 km (>10% of the total length) of the South African east coast. These aprons develop in association with large scale transverse dunefields on the backbeach, which in turn are influenced by reversing shore-parallel winds and high sediment abundance. The results reveal that the planar nature, low elevation and variable degree of polishing and weathering and extensive (100 m x 100s of km) distribution of these backbeach deposits distinguish such deflation aprons from tsunami or marine storm deposits.
Backbeach deflation aprons: morphology and sedimentology by J.A.G. Cooper, A.S. Smith, and A.N. Green
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