Volume 44 - Number 1 - 2009
Article

Morphodynamics and recent evolution in Tunquen beach, central Chile

Carolina Martínez¹ y Sergio Salinas²

¹Depto. Geografía, Facultad de Arquitectura, Urbanismo y Geografía, Universidad de Concepción, Casilla 160-C, Concepción, Chile

²Escuela de Ciencias del Mar, Facultad de Recursos Naturales. P. Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Av. Altamirano 1480, Valparaíso, Chile

E-mail: carolmartinez@udec.cl

The morphodynamic of Tunquen beach, distal zone of Algarrobo headland bay, central Chile, and its relationship with both, the relative shoreline changes in the mid-term scale and pocket beach conditions, are presented. Tunquen is an intermediate high-energy beach, with transverse bar and rip. A rhythmic topography produced by equidistant megacusps is associated to swash circulations patterns (horn divergent). Sediments correspond to a well classified medium to coarse sand. During the last 45 years, the relative position of the shoreline has shown small variability (± 50 m). This embayment presents stable conditions associated to the shoreline changes and the determined beach type

Key words: Pocket beach, beach cusp, rhythmic morphology, shoreline

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