Cove

Small sheltered bay or coastal inlet

This article is about the coastal feature. For other uses, see Cove (disambiguation).

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McWay Cove, California, United States

A cove is a small bay or coastal inlet. They usually have narrow, restricted entrances, are often circular or oval, and are often situated within a larger bay.[1] Small, narrow, sheltered bays, inlets, tidal creeks, or recesses in a coast are often considered coves.[2][3]

Colloquially, the term can be used to describe a sheltered bay. Geomorphology describes coves as precipitously walled and rounded cirque-like openings like a valley extending into or down a mountainside, or in a hollow or nook of a cliff or steep mountainside. A cove can also refer to a corner, nook, or cranny, either in a river, road, or wall, especially where the wall meets the floor.

## Formation

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Map showing two examples of how coves form. The rock types are those of Lulworth Cove. In example A, a river breaks through the resistant chalk back rock and limestone, leaving the weak clays to be rapidly eroded. In example B, the sea breaks through the limestone, perhaps by forming a cave, and then erodes the clay away.

Coves are formed by differential erosion, which occurs when softer rocks are worn away faster than the harder rocks surrounding them. These rocks further erode to form a circular bay with a narrow entrance, called a cove. Another way is that waves can transport rocks and sediment towards cliffs or rock faces, which helps erode softer rock and gradually form coves due to friction. Additionally, rivers or streams that flow into the sea can contribute to creating natural harbors. "Over time, the sediment carried by the flow of the water will help erode any soft, rocky areas," leading to the formation of a cove.[4]

## References

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1. ^ "What is the Difference Between a Bay, Gulf, Cove, and Fjord?". 16 March 2018.
2. ^ "Thesaurus.com - The world's favorite online thesaurus!". Thesaurus.com.
3. ^ "Dictionary.com | Meanings & Definitions of English Words". Dictionary.com.
4. ^ Staff, Tynemouth (June 10, 2023). "How are Coves Formed?".

Look up cove in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

### Sources

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* Jackson, Julia A (1997). Glossary of Geology (4th ed.). Alexandria, VA: American Geological Institute. pp. 146–147\. ISBN 0-922152-34-9.
* Clark, John O. E.; Stiegler, Stella (2000). The Facts on File: Dictionary of Earth Science. New York: Market House Books Ltd.

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Coastal geography

Landforms|

* Anchialine pool
* Archipelago
* Atoll
* Avulsion
* Ayre
* Barrier island
* Bay
* Bight
* Bodden
* Brackish marsh
* Cape
* Channel
* Cliff
* Coast
* Coastal plain
* Coastal waterfall
* Continental margin
* Continental shelf
* Coral reef
* Cove
* Dune
* cliff-top
* Estuary
* Firth
* Fjard
* Fjord
* Freshwater marsh
* Fundus
* Gat
* Geo
* Gulf
* Gut
* Hapua
* Headland
* Inlet
* Intertidal wetland
* Island
* Islet
* Isthmus
* Liman
* Lagoon
* Machair
* Mudflat
* Natural arch
* Peninsula
* Reef
* Ria
* Salt marsh
* Shoal
* Skerry
* Sound
* Spit
* Stack
* Strait
* Strand plain
* Submarine canyon
* Tidal island
* Tidal marsh
* Tide pool
* Tied island
* Tombolo
* Waituna
* Windwatt

Beaches|

* Beach cusps
* Beach evolution
* Beach ridge
* Beach wrack
* Beaches in estuaries and bays
* Beachrock
* Coastal morphodynamics
* Pocket beach
* Raised beach
* Recession
* Shell beach
* Shingle beach
* Storm beach
* Wash margin

River mouths|

* Debouch
* Mouth bar
* River delta
* mega
* regressive

Processes|

* Blowhole
* Cliffed coast
* Coastal biogeomorphology
* Coastal erosion
* Concordant coastline
* Current
* Cuspate foreland
* Discordant coastline
* Emergent coastline
* Feeder bluff
* Flat coast
* Graded shoreline
* Ingression coast
* Large-scale coastal behaviour
* Longshore drift
* Marine regression
* Marine transgression
* Raised shoreline
* Rip current
* Rocky shore
* Sea cave
* Sea foam
* Shoal
* peresyp
* Steep coast
* Submergent coastline
* Surf break
* Surf zone
* Surge channel
* Swash
* Undertow
* Volcanic arc
* Wave-cut platform
* Wave shoaling
* Wind fetch
* Wind wave

Management|

* Accretion
* Coastal management
* Integrated coastal zone management
* Submersion

Related|

* Bulkhead line
* Coastal engineering
* Grain size
* boulder
* clay
* cobble
* granule
* gravel
* pebble
* sand
* shingle
* silt
* Intertidal zone
* Littoral zone
* Physical oceanography
* Region of freshwater influence
* River plume

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