|
|
St. John's Different Classes of Beaches
There are three general classifications of beaches on St. John, sand, cobblestone and coral rubble.
The most beautiful and most popular beaches are the soft white coral sand beaches typically found within the National Park on St. John's north shore. Sand beaches like these are found in areas where the water offshore is relatively shallow, the depth drops off gradually and the coral reefs and headlands are strategically located.
Another type of beach is the cobblestone beach. These are also found where there is deeper reef and higher wave action, but, due to the dynamics of the placement of the coral reefs and direction of the incoming waves, coral rubble is not washed ashore. These beaches are covered by rocks that originally came from land and have been broken down, rounded and polished by the continual action of waves. These beautiful and colorful cobblestones often make a hypnotic and musical sound as they roll about in the waves. Examples of cobblestone beaches are Great Lameshur Bay, Klein Bay and the beautiful Blue Cobblestone Beach, which you pass through if you walk the Ram Head Trail.
The third type of beach is the coral rubble beach. These beaches are formed on shorelines where the reefs are deeper, the bottom drops off more rapidly, and wave energy is higher and more constant. Broken up pieces of coral are washed ashore instead of sand.
|
|
