Spit facts for kids

A spit is a cool natural landform that sticks out from the coast into the sea. Imagine a sandy arm reaching out from the beach! Spits are made of sand, gravel, or pebbles. They form when ocean waves and currents move material along the shoreline.

What is a Spit?

A spit is a type of landform that you can find along the coast. It's like a long, narrow strip of sand or small stones. This strip is connected to the mainland or a larger island at one end. The other end stretches out into the water, often into a bay or a wider part of the sea.

Spits are always changing. They can grow longer, get wider, or even shrink. This happens because of the constant movement of the ocean.

How Do Spits Grow?

Spits form thanks to a process called longshore drift. This is how it works:

• Waves usually hit the beach at a slight angle.
• When a wave breaks, it pushes sand and pebbles up the beach.
• As the water flows back into the sea, it pulls the sand straight down the beach.
• Because the waves keep coming in at an angle, the sand gets moved little by little along the shore. It's like a zigzag path!

When the coastline suddenly changes direction, or there's a quiet bay, the sand and pebbles carried by longshore drift start to build up. They drop off in the calmer water, forming the spit. The spit grows longer and longer as more material is added.

Sometimes, the end of a spit might curve inwards. This happens because of the way waves bend around the end of the spit. Or, it could be due to strong winds and currents from the open sea.

Where Can We Find Spits?

You can find spits all over the world, wherever there are coasts with lots of sand or pebbles. They are common in places with strong longshore drift. Some famous examples include:

• Farewell Spit in New Zealand: This is one of the longest spits in the world. It stretches for about 35 kilometers!
• Spurn Head in England: This spit is constantly changing shape due to erosion and deposition.
• Sandy Hook in New Jersey, USA: This spit forms part of a national park.

Spits often create sheltered areas behind them. These calm waters are perfect for boats. They can also become important habitats for wildlife.

What Happens to Spits Over Time?

Spits are not permanent. They are always changing because of the power of the ocean.

• Growth: As longshore drift continues, spits can grow longer.
• Erosion: Strong storms or changes in currents can wash away parts of a spit. This makes it shorter or narrower.
• Breaching: Sometimes, a very strong storm can cut through a spit. This creates a new opening to the sheltered water behind it.
• Bars and Tombolos: If a spit grows all the way across a bay, it becomes a bar. If a spit connects an island to the mainland, it's called a tombolo.

Spits are amazing examples of how natural forces like waves and currents shape our planet's coastlines.