GULLIVER. — SHORELINE TOPOGRAPHY. 241 



region is nearly straight, as is also the case with the mature cliff upon 

 an elevated region. Distinction between the two must be sought not in 

 the cliff, but in some other sequential feature. In a depressed region 

 the heads of filled bays may still give witness to the drowning. If a 

 coastal plain region was dissected, then depressed, and then its coast was 

 developed to the middle of the stage called maturity, the evidences of 

 the episode of depression would be lost. The northwestern coast of 

 France is probably an example of a region which has gone through some 

 such history. For otlier examples of straight coasts consult references 

 on pages 243 and 246. 



17. Spits. 



A Characteristic of Adolescence. — A spit is formed by currents carrying 

 waste from an attached end into open water, where the unattached point 

 of the spit may be shifted by varying conditions of water motion. Spits 

 are found characteristically tilong adolescent coasts, and may be found 

 wherever there is transportation alongshore, and are particularly marked 

 at the stage of adolescence. 



Straight Spits. — Port Angeles, Wasliington, is enclosed by Ediz hook, which 

 shows an attempt to form a barb (C. S , 630:5, old number G4G). This may be 

 considered as an earlier stage of the condition seen in New Dungeness harbor 

 to the east. 



Putziger spit (Germ., 27, 47). 



A spit has grown northeast into the Zuyder Zee from the dike surrounding Urk 

 island (Holl., 20). 



Examples of straight spits occur in the Limfjorden (Denm., Logstilr). 



The type example of a broad spit is Skagen point, upon the northern extremity 

 of Jutland (Denm., Hirshals, Skagen). The prevailing motion of currents is indi- 

 cated by offsets and stream deflection to be toward the point of the spit on the 

 right and from the point on the left. In this example we are able to confirm the 

 indications given by the geographic form, as to the direction of the forming cur- 

 rents, by actual observations. The prevailing current along the west coast of 

 Jutland is from the right, the surface water having been shown to flow from the 

 south toward the point of Skagen spit.* The lines of growth are beautifully 

 shown by the curving strips of marshland ; even the artificial ditches follow the 

 same curves as if their location was determined by dune ridges. The direction of 

 growth of this spit has been toward the nearest land on the Swedish coast. 



Curred Spits. — T)n\.c\\ point (Fig. 32), lake Michigan, has grown from right to 

 left, looking from the lake to the shore. Storms from the opposite direction have 

 " turned its end toward the land and the successive recurvements are clearly dis- 



* H. Mohn, The North Ocean, Norwegian North Atlantic Expedition, 1876-78, 

 [2,1 XVIII. 168, PI. XLIII. ; Danish, Meteorologisk Aarbog, 1880, 1881. 



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