California Beach List contains the beaches list with photo links and information
for all the major California beaches.
There are over 1,000 miles of California beaches along the California
coast and approximately 118 beach cities. Beaches are dynamic landforms
altered by wind and waves in a continual process of creation and
erosion. Longshore transport can deliver up to a million cubic yards of
sediment annually to a single beach. Sand deposited onshore by the
longshore current is oscillated by waves breaking onto and receding from
the beach. This continual onshore-offshore movement gradually pushes the
sand along the beach edge. The California coastline has been divided
into geographic segments called littoral cells, that incorporate a
complete cycle of beach sediment supply, sand transport by the longshore
current, and eventual permanent loss of sand from the littoral cell. The
five types of littoral cells along the California coast...more
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The five types of littoral cells along
the California coast are each characterized by a different
littoral process determined by the geographic
features unique to the cell type. Guests who
haven't visited
the 450 California beaches often ask what the water looks like and how is the
sand. Is it anything like the clear blue water at the Bahamas where East
Coast residents enjoy smooth sand beaches, lawn chairs and cocktails
served? California beaches are not usually like that and we've yet to
find one to fit that description. The beaches range in sand quality from
coarse to fine sand, rocks to pebbles. The coastal waters near the beach
in the Pacific Ocean seldom tops 75 degrees on the warmest summer day in
Southern California. The color is not usually clear though in some
locations you can see a few feet in depth. The color of the water ranges
from aquamarine to a deep green and occasionally brownish-red during red
tide. Most beaches do not allow
alcoholic beverages; the beaches are mostly public and usually require
guests to bring their own beach chairs and gear. In case you
wonder why the beaches are so popular, they offer rugged, natural scenic
beauty. With well over 15 million people living near the state's
beaches, the climate is a major factor in attracting so may people to
this location. The Pacific Ocean's affect keeps the air temperatures
enjoyable throughout the year. Many people do not own air conditioning
in their homes along the coast. Also, the ocean waves can provide a
great surfing experience, something that's contributed to California's
multi-billion dollar surfing industry. Heal the Bay's Beach Summer
Report Card was released with some real winners in water quality
improvements and a few losers.
One type of cell is defined by a long stretch of
coastline that begins at a headland and terminates in a submarine canyon,
such as at Mugu Canyon in Ventura County and La
Jolla Canyon in San Diego County; another cell type consists of a large
river delta bounded on either side by rocky headlands, such as at Humboldt
Bay; a third type of littoral cell is defined by a crescent-shaped by downcoast of a promontory, like Half Moon Bay in San Mateo County; and a
fourth type of cell consists of a rocky headland downcoast of a beach
where waves break in a line parallel to the shore, as at Ten Mile Beach in
Mendocino County. Finally, lagoons and closed bays with restricted tidal
flow create a fifth type of littoral cell, such as Bolinas Bay in
Marin.
Characteristic differences between Northern and Southern California beaches
depend
upon the directions of prevailing wind and upon local coastal geology.
Along California's north coast, cove or pocket beaches are common where
the granitic and basaltic rock that composes the sea cliffs has been
sculpted by prevailing northwesterly winds and battered by high energy
waves over millions of years. In Southern California, beaches often
consist of long ribbons of sand interrupted by widely separated rocky
points. The bluffs of easily eroded shales and sandstones that edge the
coast here continuously crumble away, creating on even coastline over
time.
Some beach types are found along both Northern and
Southern California coasts. Narrow cove beaches like those at Laguna Beach
in Orange County form where the coast is composed of conglomerate rock and
hard sandstone; even when exposed to direct wave attack this rock type is
highly resistant to erosion. The narrow beaches formed within there coves
often lose all their sand during winter storms, exposing the underlying
cobbles, as at Boomer Beach, south of Point La Jolla in San Diego County.
Barrier beaches and sand spits are also present along the coast at river
mouths, bays, and lagoons; examples are Silver Strand Beach in San Diego,
Zuma Beach in Malibu, and beaches at the Smith, Salinas, Pajaro, and Santa
Maria River mouths.
Beaches vary in color according to the mineral content of
the sand, which is also a clue to the origin to the eroded sediments that
make up the sand supply. Eroded shale cliffs create the charcoal gray
beach sand at Shelter Cove in Humboldt County. North of Humboldt Bay, the
coarse sands of Agate Beach are multicolored agates that have been ground
and polished by the surf. Ground quartz and feldspar mineral make up the
white beaches of Carmel, while a few miles to the north in Sand City,
amber colored sand indicates the presence of iron mineral. Close
inspection reveals that white sand beaches are mosaic of pale quartz
grains, pink, green or white feldspar and flecks of black
mica. Beaches are inhabited by a variety of invertebrates and
insects.
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