Landform extending into a body of water, often with significant height and drop
A headland, also known as a head, is a
coastallandform, a point of land usually high and often with a sheer drop, that extends into a
body of water. It is a type of
promontory. A headland of considerable size often is called a
cape.[1] Headlands are characterised by high, breaking
waves,
rocky shores, intense
erosion, and steep
sea cliff.
Headlands and
bays are often found on the same coastline. A bay is flanked by land on three sides, whereas a headland is flanked by water on three sides. Headlands and bays form on discordant coastlines, where bands of rock of alternating resistance run perpendicular to the coast. Bays form when weak (less resistant) rocks (such as
sands and
clays) are eroded, leaving bands of stronger (more resistant) rocks (such as
chalk,
limestone, and
granite) forming a headland, or
peninsula. Through the deposition of
sediment within the bay and the erosion of the headlands, coastlines eventually straighten out, then start the same process all over again.