Question

Explain how a spit is formed.

Answer 1

A spit is a landform created by the deposition of sand by the movement of the tides.
Spits are narrow and elongated – one end is attached to the mainland and the other is out in open water. A spit develops when waves meet the beach at an oblique angle, moving sediment down the beach and into the open waters where it is deposited in a narrow strip. As a spit grows, it might become stable and fertile and even support habitation.

Answer 2

A spit is an extended stretch of beach material that projects out to sea and is joined to the mainland at one end. Spits areformed where the prevailing wind blows at an angle to the coastline, resulting in longshore drift. An example of a spit is Spurn Head, found along the Holderness coast in Humberside.