Lower shoreface refers to the portion of the seafloor, and the

sedimentary depositional environment In geology, depositional environment or sedimentary environment describes the combination of physical, chemical, and biological processes associated with the deposition of a particular type of sediment and, therefore, the rock types that will b ...

, that lies below the everyday wave base.

Process

The wave base is the maximum depth at which a water wave's passage causes significant water motion. In this portion of the coastal marine environment, only the larger waves produced during storms have the power to agitate the seafloor. Between storms, finer grained

sediments Sediment is a solid material that is transported to a new location where it is deposited. It occurs naturally and, through the processes of weathering and erosion, is broken down and subsequently sediment transport, transported by the action of ...

accumulate on the seafloor, but during storms those sediments get suspended and moved around, resulting in a sedimentary structure form described as hummocky cross-stratification.

References

Physical oceanography Sedimentology Sedimentary structures {{Ocean-stub

Process

See also

References