A sand shoal (1300 m long and 400 m wide) with an orientation of north-south is formed on the lower tidal flat of Gomso Bay, southwestern coast of Korea. Surface bedforms, sedimentary structures, sedimentation rate, grain size distribution and can-cor...
A sand shoal (1300 m long and 400 m wide) with an orientation of north-south is formed on the lower tidal flat of Gomso Bay, southwestern coast of Korea. Surface bedforms, sedimentary structures, sedimentation rate, grain size distribution and can-corer sediments have been measured and analysed along the sand shoal proper zone B and its offshore zone A and onshore zone C during the period of 14 months. These three zones can be differentiated based on sedimentological characteristics: A zone - fine sand (3${\varphi}$ mean), linguoid-type ripples, 70 mm/month in sedimentation rate and no bioturbation, B zone - medium sand (2.5${\varphi}$ mean), dunes (4${\sim}$5 m in wavelength), 30 mm/month in sedimentation rate and no bioturbation, and C zone - coarse silt (5${\varphi}$ mean), sinuous-type ripples, 10 mm/month in sedimentation rate and well-developed bioturbation. These characteristics indicate that the zone C represents a relatively low-energy regime environment whereas the zone A corresponds to a relatively high-energy environment. The zone B would play an important role for a barrier to dissipate the approaching wave energy, resulting in maintaining of low-energy conditions in the inner part of Gomso-Bay intertidal flat behind.