﻿662 
  NEW 
  YOKE 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  and 
  a 
  low 
  bluff 
  faces 
  the 
  sea. 
  Bars 
  of 
  sand 
  have 
  been 
  partially 
  or 
  

   wholly 
  thrown 
  across 
  the 
  old 
  glacial 
  stream 
  channels 
  by 
  the 
  waves. 
  

   The 
  most 
  notable 
  of 
  these 
  marine 
  deposits 
  are 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  off- 
  

   shore 
  bars, 
  subject 
  to 
  frequent 
  changes 
  in 
  hight 
  and 
  position.^ 
  

  

  On 
  tlie 
  north 
  shore, 
  where 
  the 
  wave 
  action 
  is 
  less 
  vio^orous, 
  there 
  

   has 
  been 
  less 
  cutting 
  back, 
  but, 
  the 
  cliffs 
  being 
  higher, 
  other 
  factors, 
  

   such 
  as 
  landslips 
  and 
  the 
  ordinary 
  work 
  of 
  gravity 
  on 
  loose 
  materials, 
  

   nearly 
  compensate 
  for 
  this 
  difference 
  in 
  the 
  quantity 
  of 
  materials 
  

   handled 
  by 
  the 
  waves. 
  The 
  wave 
  action 
  on 
  this 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  island 
  

   has 
  been 
  in 
  part 
  resisted 
  by 
  the 
  numerous 
  boulders 
  which 
  come 
  to 
  

   rest 
  upon 
  the 
  beaches 
  from 
  the 
  undercutting 
  of 
  the 
  till, 
  a 
  feature 
  

   which 
  is 
  wanting 
  on 
  the 
  south 
  shore. 
  Numerous 
  small 
  barrier 
  

   beaches 
  occur, 
  usually 
  with 
  outlets 
  at 
  their 
  western 
  end 
  for 
  the 
  

   lagoons 
  or 
  back 
  bays 
  which 
  they 
  inclose. 
  A 
  few 
  small 
  masses 
  of 
  

   land, 
  which 
  otherwise 
  would 
  stand 
  out 
  as 
  islands 
  along 
  the 
  north 
  

   slioi'e, 
  are 
  tied 
  together 
  and 
  so 
  to 
  the 
  main 
  island 
  by 
  these 
  beaches, 
  

   us 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  Center 
  island 
  in 
  Oyster 
  Bay 
  harbor, 
  which 
  is 
  thus 
  

   joined 
  with 
  Oak 
  neck, 
  and 
  that 
  in 
  turn 
  to 
  the 
  land. 
  The 
  upper 
  and 
  

   inner 
  portions 
  of 
  these 
  beaches 
  are 
  composed 
  of 
  dune 
  sand. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  narrower 
  bays 
  and 
  creeks 
  behind 
  the 
  barrier 
  beaches 
  marine 
  

   marshes 
  have 
  developed 
  on 
  both 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  island. 
  The 
  extent 
  of 
  

   these 
  deposits 
  on 
  the 
  south 
  side 
  is 
  very 
  much 
  less 
  than 
  on 
  the 
  south 
  

   coast. 
  The 
  land 
  in 
  such 
  situations 
  usually 
  slopes 
  beneath 
  the 
  inner 
  

   margin 
  of 
  the 
  marsh 
  flats 
  without 
  evidence 
  of 
  former 
  wave 
  action 
  

   at 
  this 
  level. 
  Both 
  the 
  beaches 
  and 
  the 
  marshes 
  have 
  developed 
  in 
  

   post-glacial 
  time. 
  If 
  during 
  all 
  this 
  time 
  the 
  sea 
  stood 
  at 
  its 
  present 
  

   level, 
  before 
  the 
  barrier 
  beaches 
  were 
  formed 
  the 
  waves 
  must 
  have 
  

   had 
  a 
  relatively 
  free 
  run 
  against 
  the 
  sides 
  of 
  certain 
  inclosed 
  uncut 
  

   bay 
  «hores 
  c^^ 
  the 
  present 
  time, 
  and 
  would 
  have 
  nipped 
  the 
  incoher- 
  

   ent 
  materials 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  form 
  a 
  small 
  but 
  perceptible 
  cut 
  bench 
  and 
  

   bluff. 
  The 
  absence 
  of 
  this 
  feature 
  in 
  what 
  but 
  for 
  the 
  barrier 
  

   beaches 
  would 
  be 
  exposed 
  bay 
  shores 
  seems 
  explicable 
  only 
  on 
  the 
  

   hypothesis 
  that 
  the 
  land 
  has 
  sunk, 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  wave-cut 
  terraces, 
  

  

  ^ 
  For 
  a 
  recent 
  discussion 
  of 
  the 
  origin 
  and 
  terminology 
  of 
  seashore 
  deposits, 
  

   consult 
  F. 
  P. 
  Gulliver, 
  Shore 
  line 
  topography. 
  Am. 
  acad. 
  arts 
  and 
  sci. 
  Proc. 
  

   1899. 
  34: 
  151-258; 
  also 
  F. 
  J. 
  H. 
  Merrill, 
  Barrier 
  beaches 
  of 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  coast. 
  

   Pop. 
  sci. 
  mo. 
  1890. 
  37 
  : 
  736-45. 
  

  

  