What causes that shelf on the beach?

[Seagull]

Yesterday there was a "shelf" on the beach, like a big wall that was caused by the waves. What causes that?

[Geno Lebbie]

I've read before that it has something to do with beach erosion and rising sea levels. Storms off the coast seem to the big cause.

[82Sonny]

It only happens every few months but I saw the one yesterday and it was worse than most.

[Caligirl1991]

I've lived on both coasts and in several different locations and have seen them everywhere.

[Myrtle Talk]

We had a user that provided a great explanation of what you were seeing. Also for those who don't know what we are talking about I've included a picture.

"The beach feature you are referring to is called an escarpment or "scarp". I have typically seen this occur on beaches that have been renourished recently. You may also see beach scarps form after large wave events such as Nor'easter's, Tropical Storms or Hurricanes."

[JennyMyers]

We had a user that provided a great explanation of what you were seeing. Also for those who don't know what we are talking about I've included a picture.

"The beach feature you are referring to is called an escarpment or "scarp". I have typically seen this occur on beaches that have been renourished recently. You may also see beach scarps form after large wave events such as Nor'easter's, Tropical Storms or Hurricanes."

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Thanks for the explanation. It's something many people are talking about. Most of the beach looks better but some areas haven't improved at all.