Recent overwashing, and to a more limited extent overtopping, has occurred on a gravel-dominated beach just west of Carnsore Point in south-east Ireland. At relatively low points swash excursions have breached the duneline and extensive gravel fans have formed on landward-facing slopes. Also, at interbreach positions, swash ramps have been built-up in front of previously eroding dune cliffs, allowing overtopping at heights of up to 5 m above MHWOST, spreading a veneer of sediment over the adjacent dune ridge. In both cases events appear to be preceded by erosion and backbeach sand and gravel deposition. Stratigraphic, textural and fabric analyses assist in identifying environmental conditions that prevailed during overwash throat and fan, and overtopping ramp, sedimentation.
The raised beach in Church Bay on Rathlin Island, Co. Antrim is shown to be a solitary gravel barrier thai formed around 12(MX) to 13000 years ago as a result of erosion of the chalk outcrops to the south. The beach sediments exposed in a back barrier gravel pit show the progressive development of a coastal structure under occasional washover. The barrier suggests a sea-level several metres above present, which is consistent with late-Midlandian evidence from elsewhere on the Irish coast, but suggests major land-sea changes must have occurred between Rathlin and the northwest shelf of the British Isles.
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