Geology Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 15-5:
Gener-
ating a longshore
current.
If you have ever swum in the ocean and noticed that after a while you have moved along
the beach away from where you left your towel, you have been moving with the long-
shore currents. This movement you experience is called
shoredrift.
Another type of ocean current is a
rip current.
Rip currents occur when wave energy hits
the shore straight on, and the returning water washes straight out to deeper water
rather than being moved along the shore. This motion is illustrated in Figure 15-6.
Figure 15-6:
Mo-
tion of a rip cur-
rent.
