Building the Perfect Beach Party
A beach is typically a gently sloping, often sandy strip of land that borders the edge of a body of water, lake, or ocean. Sand and other materials such as pebbles, stones, and shells cover most beaches. However, sand is one of the most important Beach Decorating materials for your beach. Most beaches are formed by the gradual erosion of cliffs and other slopes. As the sand slides along the shoreline, it builds up over time. Beach materials like sand, pebbles, shells, and pieces of coral also cover many beaches.
Coastal erosion occurs when the rate of sea level rise and fall exceeds the rate of natural sand deposition. Over hundreds of thousands of years, this process has slowly pushed sand from the coastlines of some countries into the interior oceans and bays of others. Coastal erosion can take place onshore as well as offshore. Onshore, this erosion results in cliffs and walls, while offshore it causes steep drop offs into the open sea.
Seawalls and other walls are another form of coastal erosion. These barriers usually stand in place for decades, sometimes centuries. When the barriers are built, they were designed to protect against strong winds or large waves. In doing so, these structures may partially block the direction of waves before they reach the beach. As waves begin to crest the beach, they are forced to retreat due to high winds or low tides, forcing the wave to break into smaller pieces which eventually die off and wash into the ocean.
Not all beaches face the dangers of coastal erosion and the waves. There are also beaches where Mother Nature works in her own way. She created these special beaches by sculpting the sand thousands of years ago. When storms come, Mother Nature helps the sands pile up and form into cliffs, walls, and other forms of erosion that keep these special beaches safe. Even though we don’t want to think about Mother Nature, it is good to remember that she does have a special way of making our beaches more beautiful than we can imagine.
Sand is the key to the creation of any beach. Beach sand comes from deposits near sea level, that were formed millions of years ago when water was continuously flowing through the area. Today, most beaches are made from fine sandy material that consists mainly of quartz, feldspars, and silica sand. This type of beach sand is most commonly referred to as white sand. Because its composition is similar to that of seawater, it’s a very soft and squishy type of sand that allows water to grip it and mold it into different shapes.
When you build your own beach, you must take into consideration how different beach materials will react to each other. If you have a smooth beach surface, then you’ll need to use more concrete or sand to smooth out the top of the beach. For instance, if you make your beach high and wide, then you should use a lot of fillers like sand and gravel to level it out. By creating a sharp boundary, you prevent surf from entering. However, if you have a flat beach profile with a gradual slope, then more filling may be needed to ensure that it stays smooth.
Seawalls are a necessity when building beaches because they prevent erosion by keeping in large amounts of sand. There are two different types of seawalls, man-made and natural. The man-made types are often used to mark the boundaries between public and private properties. These are typically made out of fiberglass, vinyl, plastic, or metal. Natural seawalls are created by erosion from the sea, but they may also be created from fossil or coral based sediment.
Just because a beach is on an island doesn’t mean that it can’t be enjoyed. Even when the tide is low and the beach isn’t too soft, you can still find something to do at the beach. If you have a wave pool, it will be even better because you won’t be under water all day. By leaving the sand in place and working diligently to level the beach, you can ensure that your next party is a success.