Chevron (land form)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- See also: chevron (disambiguation)
A chevron is a wedge-shaped sediment deposit observed on coastlines around the world. These formations sometimes include tiny fossils from the ocean. It is hypothesised by the Holocene Impact Research Group that a tsunami from a submarine slide or meteorite impact lifts sediment up and carries it hundreds of miles until depositing it on coastlines to create the formations. This idea is controversial because chevrons are similar to wind-blown landforms found far from the ocean, and because it is unlikely that there have been enough large impacts and landslides to explain the observed chevrons. Many chevrons can be found in Australia, but others are concentrated around the coastlines of the world. For instance there are chevrons in Hither Hills State Park on Long Island and in Madagascar.
Also, like the NY Times article says, such formations are hypothesised to be created from erosion, glaciers, and other natural phenomena.
[edit] References
- New York Times Science Times Article "Ancient Crash, Epic Wave" (11.14.06)
- Chevron-shaped Accumulations Along the Coastlines of Australia as Potential Tsunami Evidences? Science of Tsunami Hazards (2003), Vol. 21, #3, p 174.
- Chevron image from New York Times
