Журнал управления прибрежной зоной

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Beach Morphology in Sindhudurg District, Maharashtra

Charlotte Maria Braganza

The present study is an attempt to investigate the beach morphology in a section of the coast of Maharashtra. The coastline of Maharashtra extends over a length of 720 kms. From Dahanu in the north to Redi in the south along the Goa border. The present study confines attention to the extreme southern section of this coast. For the purpose of academic convenience the shores of the district of Sindhudurg forms the study area. The coast of the study area extends between 15°45’ N latitude and 16°30’ N latitude. It has a general orientation north-northwest to south-southeast. The coastline has a total length approximating to about 100 kms. The study area forms the talukas of Devgad, Malvan and Vengurla of the Sindhudurg district. Beaches are composed of sediments derived from the disintegration of the land – sand and gravel eroded from terrestrial rocks. The composition of beach sediments reflects the nature of the source rocks and often can be used to assess relative contributions and transport paths from the sources to the beaches. Waves and nearshore currents continuously rework the accumulated beach sediment, rounding the particles and sorting them by size, shape and density. The beach takes on a form that reflects the totality of water and sediment movements. The overall morphology of the beach reflects the composition of its sediments and the physical processes of waves, currents and sediment transport.