Concordant and Discordant

• Concordant coast

  • Concordant coasts usually form where rock strata or folds run parallel to the coast.
  • Some concordant coasts have long, narrow islands running parallel to the coastline. 
  • Concordant coasts are also known as dalmatian coasts, after the Dalmatian region of Croatia
  • Example: Lulworth Cove
  • NO BAYS OR HEADLANDS
• How do coves form?

  • Sea is looking for weaknesses to exploit
  • Area of weakness is exploited by processes; e.g. freeze-thawing, hydraulic action
  • Wave refraction and erosional processes exploit low-resistant rock, leading to a cove formation
• Dalmatian Coast of Croatia


  • Located in the Adriatic Sea
  • Concordant coastline
  • Tectonic forces produces by the collision of the African and Eurasian plates compresses carboniferous limestone during the Alpine Orogeny 50 million years ago
  • Sea level rise at the end of the Devensian Glacial overtopped the low points of the anticlines and the sea flooded synclines
• Haff coastlines

  • Form when deposition produces unconsolidated sediment parallel to the coastline
  • During the Devensian Glacial the sea level was about 120m lower than today as water was retained in huge ice sheets
  • Meltwater rivers on land beyond the ice front deposited thick layers of sand and gravels onto outwash plains (sandurs)
  • Constructive waves pushed the ride of sand and gravels landwards as sea levels rose
• Discordant coast

  • These are where rock strata or structures are aligned at an angle to the coastline. 
  • Discordant coasts have a crenellated pattern of projecting headlands and indented bays.
• Discordant coast


  • These are where rock strata or structures are aligned at an angle to the coastline. 
  • Discordant coasts have a crenellated pattern of projecting headlands and indented bays.
  • This is where the geology alternates between bands of more and less resistant rock which run perpendicular
  • HEADLANDS AND BAYS
• How do headlands and bays form?

  • Weakness has already been exposed - no resistant rock
  • Exposed less resistant rock is eroded rapidly, creating bays and leaving resistant rock intact, forming headlands