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Combine filters to find formations by what shaped them, where they occur, and how long they take to form.

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An eroding coastal cliff beneath apartment buildings in Pacifica, California.
Coastal Cliff Coastal Activity

How Coastal Cliffs Develop

Coastal cliffs form where waves undercut and weather exposed rock faster than it can be removed by gentler processes, leaving a steep edge that slowly retreats inland.

Examples: Cliffs of Moher (Europe), Seven Sisters (Europe)

Formation timescale: Medium (thousands of years)

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Sea stacks and wave-eroded cliffs at Point Reyes, California.
Coastal Landform Coastal Activity

How Coastal Erosion Creates New Landforms

Coastal erosion wears away exposed rock into cliffs, arches, and sea stacks, while the sediment it produces is carried along the shore to build new beaches, spits, and barrier islands elsewhere.

Examples: The Twelve Apostles (Australia), The White Cliffs of Dover (Europe)

Formation timescale: Medium (thousands of years)

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Aerial view of the forested coral atoll of Palmyra, surrounded by ocean.
Coral Atoll Coastal Activity

How Coral Atolls Develop

A coral atoll forms when a fringing coral reef continues growing upward around a volcanic island that is slowly subsiding, eventually leaving only a ring of reef and low islands once the volcano sinks below the surface.

Examples: Bikini Atoll (Oceania), Maldives Atolls (Asia)

Formation timescale: Very Long (millions of years)

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