Backshore (Geoform Type)

Component: Geoform

Unique Identifier: 169

Geoform Origin	Geologic
Geoform	Shore
Geoform Type	Backshore

Description

Definition

The upper or inner zone of the shore or beach that is above the high-water line of mean spring tides and below the upper limit of shore-zone processes. The backshore is usually dry or moistened by spray, and is acted upon by waves (or covered by water) only during exceptionally severe storms or unusually high tides. It is essentially horizontal or slopes gently landward, and it is divided from the foreshore by the crest of the most seaward berm.