THE BUILDING OF THE LAND 25 



ually often a second ridge is formed outside the 

 first. Such may be observed at Cape Canaveral. 



Now as against this constructive action of the 

 sea in land building and extension there are many 

 opposing forces of destruction to offset it. Upon 

 every shore a contest is being waged by Nature's 

 forces to build up, on the one hand, and extend the 

 land seaward, and, to destroy the land, on the 

 other hand, and bury it beneath the sea. Thus 

 the constant changes we may see from year to 

 year along any beach. 



Destruction of the land is chiefly caused by 

 erosion and by the solvent action of both fresh 

 and sea water. The surf is constantly bombard- 

 ing the rocky beaches with crashing wave volleys 

 while insiduously dissolving away the rocky shore 

 by the chemistry of its waters. Even the spray 

 thrown back from the shore, and forming pools 

 in the depressions in the limestone, gradually de- 

 stroys 1 he hard rock much as some corrosive acid 

 would do. Between tides the water constantly 

 erodes and dissolves the limestone rock, often 

 causing a shelf to overhang for fifteen or twenty 

 feet. From above, the little holes of erosion be- 

 come eaten through, and every wave that thunders 



