Sea Stack
A sea stack is a large stack of rock in the sea that looks like a tall stone tower, separated from the main shoreline. They can occur wherever there is a water body and a cliff. Sea stacks can be found on all seven continents, and each highlights a subtle difference in how they are formed. Famous examples exist everywhere from Australia to Ireland, Iceland, and Russia. Some of them are long and flat, while others are tall, thin, and pointed.
Coastal erosion or the slow wearing of rock by water and wind over very long periods of time causes a stack to form. All sea stacks start out as part of nearby rock formations. Over millennia, wind and waves break the rock down. The force of the two creates cracks in the stone, and, little by little, cracks become chips, which fall off the main rock.
When enough chips fall off, holes are created that extend from one rock outcrop side to the other. Eventually, the wind and water break through to the other side, creating a cave or arch. Over many more generations, this arch also falls away, separating one part of the rock from the original cliff, resulting in the sea stack.
Sea Stack
A sea stack is a large stack of rock in the sea that looks like a tall stone tower, separated from the main shoreline. They can occur wherever there is a water body and a cliff. Sea stacks can be found on all seven continents, and each highlights a subtle difference in how they are formed. Famous examples exist everywhere from Australia to Ireland, Iceland, and Russia. Some of them are long and flat, while others are tall, thin, and pointed.
Coastal erosion or the slow wearing of rock by water and wind over very long periods of time causes a stack to form. All sea stacks start out as part of nearby rock formations. Over millennia, wind and waves break the rock down. The force of the two creates cracks in the stone, and, little by little, cracks become chips, which fall off the main rock.
When enough chips fall off, holes are created that extend from one rock outcrop side to the other. Eventually, the wind and water break through to the other side, creating a cave or arch. Over many more generations, this arch also falls away, separating one part of the rock from the original cliff, resulting in the sea stack.