Geography : Headlands and Bay

Headlands and bays are often found together on the same stretch of coastline. Headlands and bays form on discordant coastlines, where bands of rock of alternating resistance run perpendicular to the coast. Bays form where weak (less resistant) rocks (such as sands and clays) are eroded, leaving bands of stronger (more resistant) rocks (such as chalk, limestone, granite) forming a headland, or peninsula. Refraction of waves occurs on headlands concentrating wave energy on them, so many other landforms, such as caves, natural archs and stacks, form on headlands. Wave refraction disperses wave energy through the bay, and along with the sheltering effect of the headlands this protects bays from storms. This effect means that the waves reaching the shore in a bay are weaker than the waves reaching the headland and the bay is thus a safer place for water activities like surfing or swimming.

• The coastline consisted of parallel bands of hard and soft rock which were perpendicular to the sea.

• As a result of differential erosion, the bands of soft rock were eroded much more quickly than the bands of resistant rock to form bays and headlands.

• The headlands will be eroded back as a result of wave refraction. Caves, arches, stacks and stumps will form which will eventually be eroded away. The bays will advance as deposition will take place at their heads to form Bay-head Beaches.
  

• Eventually, the coastline will become straight again and the whole process of differential erosion will resume again to result in an irregular coastline.