A shingle beach is a beach which is armoured with pebbles or small- to medium-sized cobbles (as opposed to fine sand). Typically, the stone composition may grade from characteristic sizes ranging from two to 200 mm diameter.
While this beach landform is most commonly found in Western Europe, examples are found in Bahrain, North America and in a number of other world regions, such as the east coast of New Zealand's South Island, where they are associated with the shingle fans of braided rivers. Though created at shorelines, post-glacial rebound can raise shingle beaches as high as 200 metres above sea level, at the High Coast in Sweden.
The ecosystems formed by this unique association of rock and sand allow colonization by a variety of rare and endangered species.
A shingle beach is a beach which is armoured with pebbles or small- to medium-sized cobbles (as opposed to fine sand). Typically, the stone composition may grade from characteristic sizes ranging from two to 200 mm diameter.
While this beach landform is most commonly found in Western Europe, examples are found in Bahrain, North America and in a number of other world regions, such as the east coast of New Zealand's South Island, where they are associated with the shingle fans of braided rivers. Though created at shorelines, post-glacial rebound can raise shingle beaches as high as 200 metres above sea level, at the High Coast in Sweden.
The ecosystems formed by this unique association of rock and sand allow colonization by a variety of rare and endangered species.