Did you ever wonder how beautiful beaches and fascinating headlands are formed? Well, today's your lucky day! We'll walk through the wonderful world of erosion that sculpts our coastal landscapes. Remember, erosion is like an artist, sculpting the Earth's surface over thousands of years, turning boring rocks into scenic landscapes!

Just like us, rocks have their strengths and weaknesses. When waves go head to head with rocks, the weaker ones lose the battle and get eroded to form bays, while the harder rocks remain, forming headlands that stick out. Imagine a boxing match where waves are the heavyweight champion, and weaker rocks are the underdogs. Over time, the champ punches (erodes) the weaker rocks forming bays. An example of this is Maracas Bay and Tyrico Bay in northern Trinidad!

Waves are smart; they distribute their energy evenly around the bay (a process known as wave refraction). But guess what? They still have a bit of a temper. They focus their energy on the flanks of headlands, like an angry gamer zeroing in on their opponent in a video game. Bayhead beaches form when friendly waves (constructive waves) drop sand between two headlands.

You won't believe what waves can do to rocks with weaknesses or faults! They can create sea caves, arches, stacks, and stumps. It's like the waves are playing a game of Minecraft, digging out caves, forming arches, and making stacks and stumps! Here's how:

• Waves find a fault in the rock and start digging a sea cave.
• If two caves meet, they form an arch (it's like a high-five between two caves!).
• If the roof of the arch collapses, we get a stack.
• Finally, if this stack is eroded, a stump is formed.

You can see these in action at Etretat in northern France and Dyrhólaey, southern Iceland.