Some Physical Aspects of Hamai Beach Along the Konkon Coast, Maharastra

Abstract

Salient geomorphic features like sea cliff, beaches, sand bars (locally known as ‘danda’), marshy land, creeks, coastal saline soils i.e. kharland etc as a whole contribute to the related beach processes of the Harnai beach along the Konkon coastal tract of Maharastra state. This typical relatively flat beach is characterized with steep wave cut sea cliff bordering the kharland and sea. Narrow sea beach comprised with coarse sands face stormy southwest monsoon and as a result sand dunes and sand bars are formed. Evidences of exposed laterites and underlined basalts may be considered as erosion features of Harnai beach under meso-macrotidal regime where tidal amplitude varies between 3 m to 5 m. It is observed that beach morphodynamics help in shaping beach morphology where filling is main activity during monsoon and scooping is major activity during post monsoon.