Summary
On Kos island, Greece, along an investigated coastal segment 3 km in length, four adjacent sectors were distinguished, (1) Empros beach, a rocky shore with plunging cliffs and a steeply dipping, submarine talus, (2) Thermi beach, a „coarse-clastic beach” with a subaerial cliff fringed by a bouldery to coarse gravelly beach with poorly developed zonation, (3) Dimitra beach, a gravelly beach with well-developed zonation, and (4) Phokas beach, a gravelly beach characterized by finer mean grain size. The lateral variation in Holocene coastal morphology would lead to different transgressive records: „rapid” sea-level rise that may be suggested by transgression of the rocky shore is contemporaneous with „gradual” rise recorded by transgression of the gravelly beaches.
Dimitra beach is an about 500 m long, cuspate, microtidal, wave-dominated gravelly beach. From land offshore, in its fairweather configuration it shows
-
(a)
a backshore of rounded gravels to small, rounded boulders,
-
(b)
a winter storm berm paved by disc-shaped clasts,
-
(c)
a belt of beach cusps each centered by an oblique-triangular foreshore sand flat, and flanked by gravel ridges of roughly triangular shape in plan view,
-
(d)
a fairweather plunge step,
-
(e)
a. „relic storm/swell beachface” (uppermost shoreface during fairweather) of clean, rounded coarse gravels to cobbles,
-
(f)
a storm/swell plunge step, and
-
(g)
a vencer of gravels to boulders that, farther seaward, grades into submarine sand flats.
During storm upbuilding, the foreshore sand flats disappeared, the gravel ridges were eroded and an even, more gently dipping storm beachface developed. Beach restoration in a swell regime proceeded in feedback with the emergent fairweather beach morphology. During ensuing fairweather, the foreshore sand flats were partly winnowed. On Dimitra beach the layer involved in beach face to uppermost shoreface dynamics was about 1 m thick and 10–15 m wide. In fossil gravelly beach successions, features formed during highenergy events include both berms and master bedding surfaces. Features of the waning stage are fairweather plunge steps and relic storm/swell beachfaces (lower beachface). From cuspate gravel ridges of the upper beachface probably only the basal part is preserved.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Alexandersson, T. (1972): Mediterranean Beachrock Cementation: Marine precipitation of Mg-calcite.—In:Stanley, D.J. (ed.): The Mediterranean Sea. A Natural Sedimentation Laboratory. —203–223, Stroudsburg (Dowden, Hutchinson & Ross)
Altherr, R., Keller, J. &Kott, K. (1976): Der jungtertiäre Monzonit von Kos und sein Kontakthof.—Bull. Soc. géol. France, (VII),18, 403–412, Paris
Bartholomä, A., Ibbeken, H. &Schleyer, R. (1998): Modification of gravel during longshore transport (Bianco Beach, Calabria, southern Italy).—J. Sed. Res.68, 138–147, Tulsa
Bernoulli, D., de Graciansky, P. Ch. &Monod, O. (1974): The extension of the Lycian nappes (SW Turkey) into the southeastern Aegean islands.—Eclogae geol. Helv.,67, 39–90, Basel
Bignot, G. &Guernet, C. (1976): Sur la presénce deBorelis curdica (Reichel) dans le Miocène de l'íle des Kos (Grèce).— Geol. méditerraine,3, 15–26, Paris
Bird, E.C.F. (1969): Coasts.—246 pp. Cambridge, Massachusetts (The M.I.T. Press)
Bluck, B.J. (1967): Sedimentation of beach gravels: Examples from South Wales.—J. Sed. Petrol,37, 128–156, Tulsa
Böger, H., Gersonde, R. &Willmann, R. (1974): Das Neogen im Ostern der Insel Kos (Ägäis, Dodekanes)—Stratigraphie und Tektonik.—N. Jb. Geol. Paläont. Abh.,145, 129–152, Stuttgart
Bourgeois, J. (1980): A transgressive shelf sequence exhibiting hummocky stratification: the Cape Sebastian Sandstone (Upper Cretaceous), southwestern Oregon.—J. Sed. Petrol.,50, 681–702, Tulsa
Bourgeois, J. & Leithold, E.L. (1984): Wave-worked conglomerates-depositional processes and criteria for recognition.—In:Koster, E.H. & Steel, R.J. (eds.): Sedimentology of Gravels and Conglomerates.—Canadian Soc. Petrol. Geol. Mem.,10, 331–343, Calgary
Bundesamt für Seeschiffahrt & Hydrographie (1997): Verzeichnis der Nautischen Karten und Bücher, und sonstigen Veröffentlichungen.— Publikation No. 2452, 112p. Blatt No. 613. „Kuçadasi bis Bodrum”, 1∶150 000, Hamburg
Dobkins, J.E. &Folk, R.L. (1970): Shape development on Tahiti-Nui.— J. Sed. Petrol.,40, 1167–1203, Tulsa
Emery, D. &Myers, K.J. (eds.), (1996): Sequence Stratigraphy.— 297 pp., Oxford (Blackwell)
Forbes, D.L. &Taylor, R.B. (1987): Coarse-grained beach sedimentation under paraglacial conditions, Canadian Atlantic coast.—In:Fitzgerald, D. &Rosen, P. (eds): Glaciated Coasts. —51–86, New York (Academic Press)
Gale, S.J. (1990): Short Note: The shape of beach gravels.—J. Sed. Petrol.,60, 787–789, Tulsa
Hart, B.S. &Plint, A.G. (1995): Gravelly shoreface and beachface deposits.—In:Plint, A.G. (ed.): Sedimentary Facies Analysis. —Spec. Publs. int. Ass. Sediment,22, 75–99, Oxford (Blackwell)
Howard, J.L. (1992): An evaluation of shape indices as paleoenvironmental indicators using quartzite and metavulcanic clasts in Upper Cretaceous to Paleocene beach, river and submarine fan conglomerates.—Sedimentology,39, 471–486, Oxford
Jacboshagen, V. (1986): Geologie von Griechenland.—Beiträge zur regionalen Geologie der Erde,19, 1–323, Berlin (Bornträger)
Johnson, M.E. (1988): Why are ancient rocky shores so uncommon? —J. Geol.,96, 469–480, Chicago
Johnson, M.E., Ledesma-Vasouez, J., Clark, H.C. &Zwiebel, J.A. (1996): Coastal evolution of Late Cretaceous and Pleistocene rocky shores: Pacific rim of northern Baja California, Mexico.—Geol. Soc. Amer. Bull.,108, 708–721, Boulder
Kirk, R.M. (1975): Aspects of surf and runup processes on mixed sand and gravel beaches.—Geografiska Annaler, Series A,57, 117–133, Stockholm
Kirk, R.M. (1980): Mixed sand and gravel beaches: Morphology, processes and sediments.—Progr. phys. Geogr.,4, 189–210, London (Edward Arnold)
Leithold, E.L. &Bourgeois, J. (1984): Characteristics of coarse-grained sequences deposited in nearshore, wave-dominated environments—examples from the Miocene of south-west Oregon.—Sedimentology,31, 749–775, Oxford
Lescinsky, H.L., Ledesma-Vasquez, J. &Johnson, M.E. (1991): Dynamics of Late Cretaceous Rocky Shores (Rosario Formation) from Baja California, Mexico.—Palaois,6, 126–141, Tulsa
Longiaru, S. (1987): Visual comparators for estimating the degree of sorting from plane and thin section.—J. Sed. Petrol.,57, 791–794, Tulsa
Lüttig, G. (1964): Zur Geröllmorphologie von Transgressions-konglomeraten.— In:Van Straaten, L.M.J.U. (ed.): Deltaic and shallow marine deposits.—Developments in Sedimentology,1, 253–256, Amsterdam
Maejima, W. (1982): Texture and stratification of gravelly beach sediments, Enju Beach, Kii Peninsula, Japan.—J. Geosci. Osaka City Univ.,25, 35–51, Osaka
Massari, F. &Parea, G.C. (1988): Progradational gravel beach sequences in a moderate- to high-energy, microtidal marine environment.—Sedimentology,35, 881–913, Oxford
Miller, P.R. &Orr, W.N. (1988): Mid-Tertiary transgressive rocky coast sedimentation: Central Western Cascade Range, Oregon.—J. Sed. Petrol.,58, 959–968, Tulsa
Nemec, W. & Steel, R.J. (1984): Alluvial and costal conglomerates: their significant features and some comments on gravelly mass-flow deposits.—In:Koster, E.H. & Steel, R.J. (eds.): Sedimentology of Gravels and Conglomerates.—Canadian Soc. Petrol. Geol. Mem.,10, 1–31, Calgary
Pettijohn, F.J., Potter, P.E. &Siever, R. (1987): Sand and Sandstone.—553 pp., New York (Springer)
Postma, G. &Nemec, W. (1990): Regressive and transgressive sequences in a raised Holocene gravelly beach southwestern Crete.—Sedimentology,37, 907–920, Oxford
Randall, R.E. (1977): Shingle foreshores.—In:Barnes, R.S.K. (ed.): The Coastline.—49–61 London (John Wiley)
Sanders, D. (1996): The Upper Cretaceous near Maurach (Tyrol, Austria).—Geol. Paläont. Mitt. Innsbruck,21, 123–151, Innsbruck.
— (1997): Upper Cretaceous transgressive shore zone deposits („Untersberger Marmor” Auct.) in the eastern part of the Tyrol (Austria): An overview.—Geol. Paläont. Mitt. Innsbruck,22, 101–121, Innsbruck.
— (1998): Tectonically controlled Late Cretaceous terrestrial to neritic deposition, Gosau Group, Northern Calcareous Alps (Tyrol, Austria).—Facies,39, 139–178, Erlangen
Semeniuk, V. &Johnson, D.P. (1985): Modern and Pleistocene rocky shore sequences along carbonate coastlines, Southwestern Australia.—Sed. Geol.,44, 225–261, Amsterdam
Wachendorf, H. &Gralla, P. (1983): Korrelation der präneogenen Serien im NE-Dodekanes (Griechenland).—Z. dt. geol. Ges.,134, 95–117, Hannover
Willmann, R. (1983): Neogen und jungtertiäre Entwicklung der Insel Kos (Ägäis, Griechenland).—Geol. Rdsch.,72, 815–860, Stuttgart
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Sanders, D. Rocky shore-gravelly beach transition, and storm/post-storm changes of a holocene gravelly beach (Kos island, Aegean sea): Stratigraphic significance. Facies 42, 227–243 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02562574
Received:
Revised:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02562574