Earth:Baymouth bar

Short description: Sandbank that partially or completely closes access to a bay

A baymouth bar is a depositional feature as a result of longshore drift. It is a sandbank that partially or completely closes access to a bay.

Background

These bars usually consist of accumulated gravel and sand carried by the current of longshore drift and deposited at a less turbulent part of the current. Thus, they most commonly occur across artificial bay and river entrances due to the loss of kinetic energy in the current after wave refraction.