74 
F. W. Oliver. 
Though the illustrations given here are mainly drawn from the 
more accessible aggregations of shingle occurring on the east and 
south coasts of England, it is not anticipated that these will he 
found other than representative of this type of formation generally. 
The Main Types of Shingle Beach. 
Shingle banks arise on our coasts when suitable materials from 
the waste of the shore, such as flints, find their way into the zone 
of the littoral currents. In these shallow waters they are kept 
continually on the move by the waves, whilst in obedience to the 
more or less constant currents they are drifted in certain definite 
directions. The raising of these materials to form banks or beaches 
above high-water mark is the work of the waves and is promoted 
especially by heavy on-shore gales. 
The form assumed by these banks shows considerable diversity, 
and it will be convenient first to discriminate between what may be 
termed the principal morphological types of shingle hanks. 
1. The Fringing type. This is the simplest case, the shingle 
being directed by the shore current and forming a strip in contact 
with the land along the top of the beach. This type is well illus¬ 
trated at many points on the south coast of England, notably on 
the coast of Sussex, and on the opposite shore of the Channel, c.g., 
S.W. of Dieppe. 
When the current leaves the shore other types are produced. 
2. The Shingle Spit. This is produced when a coast-line 
suddenly changes its direction, turning landward, whilst the current 
pursues its original course, so that it separates from the shore. 
The drifted shingle accumulates along the line of the current to 
form a bank or causeway often reaching a length of several miles. 
This type is attached to the shore at the point where the current 
leaves it and then runs straight or with a gentle curvature to its 
distal, growing extremity. The apex of this type is particularly 
liable to deflection as a landward hook (Text-figs. 3 and 4). 
Examples: Hurst Castle Bank; Blakeney Bank. 
3. When a shingle spit once more reaches the land it is dis¬ 
tinguished as a bar. The Chesil Bank, Dorset, would appear at 
first sight to belong to this category, but as the sequel will show, 
the exact status of this bank is still a matter of discussion by 
geologists (Text-fig. 5). 
