The scalloped nature of a shoreline is primarily caused by:

• A. Wave refraction around headlands
• B. Tidal action
• C. Longshore currents flowing to the south
• D. Storm surge erosion

Answer: (C)

Longshore drift creates a scalloped shoreline. When waves hit the coast at an angle, they generate alongshore currents that move sediment parallel to the shore. This persistent alongshore transport erodes some portions of the shoreline while depositing sand in others, producing a series of indentations (embayments) and protruding points that give the coast its scalloped appearance. Tidal action and storm surges act more locally and episodically, while wave refraction around individual headlands shapes specific features locally but doesn’t, by itself, produce the regular scalloped pattern along a coast. The sustained southward alongshore transport is what sculpts the overall scalloped outline.