Table 2. Average Beach Foreshore Slopes and Sediment Diameters 



Type of Beach Sediment 



Size 

 (mm) 



Average Slope of 

 Beach Face 

 (degrees) 



Very fine sand 

 Fine sand 

 Medium sand 

 Coarse sand 

 Very coarse sand 

 Granules 

 Pebbles 

 Cobbles 



1/16-1/8 



1/8-1/4 



1/4-1/2 



1/2-1 



1-2 



2-4 



2-64 



64-256 



1 



3 



5 



7 



9 



11 



17 



24 



Coarse sand beaches may have berms but these berms slope landward, 

 often at considerable angles. The foreshore is steep, although somewhat 

 less so than found in gravel beaches. Coarse sand beaches are soft 

 which makes them poor for walking and for vehicle traffic. 



Fine sand beaches differ from the others chiefly in having very 

 gentle foreshore slopes. The sand is tjrpically hard packed on the fore- 

 shore and is likely to be hard enough to support an automobile or to 

 land a small airplane. 



The selection of appropriate beach cleanup methods and equipment 

 depends on the type of beach involved, in particular, the material the 

 beach is composed of, its location and accessibility, the ocean wave 

 and wind conditions the beach is subjected to, and the self -replenishing 

 ability (of the beach material) . 



For the purpose of beach cleanup operation, the materials are 

 classified as follows: 



Sand 



Gravel (stones 1/8 to 2-1/2 inches in diameter) 



Cobbles (stones larger than 2-1/2 inches in diameter) 



Boulders 



Most of the beaches are made of sand or cobble. It should be noted, 

 however, that a beach may change in composition with season and in time. 

 Some beaches develop only during seasons with small waves and disappear 



