Sandy beaches are highly dynamic environments subject to rapid, extreme changes. Typically located on passive margins, in areas characterized by low-wave energy, a wide continental shelf, and high offshore sediment influence, sandy beaches are found in wave-dominated, depositional settings such as the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico coasts. Many of our favorite beaches are found on sandy coasts: Cape Cod National Seashore in Massachusetts, Cumberland Island National Seashore in Georgia, Assateague Island National Seashore in Maryland and Virginia, Padre Island National Seashore in Texas, and Gulf Islands National Seashore in Florida and Mississippi. Sandy beaches may be found in any tectonic setting or depositional

environment, such as pocket beaches at Channel Islands National Park in California.

Depositional settings along sandy coasts produce barrier structures such as bay barriers, barrier spits, and barrier islands. Coastal barriers are highly complex and dynamic landforms that experience constant change and movement. These narrow strips of sand serve as obstacles to incoming waves, protecting fragile environments that lay further inland, for example, marshes, tidal flats, and lagoons.

To learn more about areas in the National Park System with sandy beaches or the geologic features found there, select the Features shell.