Tombolo

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For the Italian city, see Tombolo, Italy.
Tombolo at Stockton Island, Ashland County (Wisconsin).
Tombolo at Stockton Island, Ashland County (Wisconsin).
Satellite view of Chesil Beach (shown as a long blue line) in Dorset, England (Landsat image viewed using NASA World Wind software)
Satellite view of Chesil Beach (shown as a long blue line) in Dorset, England (Landsat image viewed using NASA World Wind software)
Ap Lei Pai (left), an islet connected to Ap Lei Chau (right), a bigger island, in the southern waters in Hong Kong.
Ap Lei Pai (left), an islet connected to Ap Lei Chau (right), a bigger island, in the southern waters in Hong Kong.

A tombolo is a deposition landform such as a spit or bar which forms a narrow piece of land between an island or offshore rock and a mainland shore, or between two islands or offshore rocks. They usually form because the island causes wave refraction, depositing sand and shingle moved by longshore drift in each direction around the island where the waves meet. Eustatic sea level rise may also contribute to accretion as material is pushed up with rising sea levels. This is the case with Chesil Beach which connects the Isle of Portland to Dorset in England which is notable as the shingle ridge is parallel rather than perpendicular to the coast.

[edit] List of notable tombolos

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