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Barriers and strand plains are prominent depositional features of many modern coasts, and sandstone bodies of similar origin are represented in the stratigraphic record. In contrast to river deltas, which result from interaction of fluvial and marine processes, barriers and strand plains are supplied and molded almost entirely by marine processes. For purposes of this discussion, barriers are defined as sandy islands or peninsulas elongate parallel with shore and separated from the mainland by lagoons or marshes. Barriers are transitional in character to strand plains, which are wider in a land-sea direction and generally lack well developed lagoons and inlets. Chenier plains are a type of strand plain consisting of coastwise sandy ridges, separated by coastal mudflat deposits.

Some of the major environments and facies associated with barriers and strand plains are shown in Figure 1. The environments of sand deposition include: (1) beach and shoreface environments on the seaward side of barriers and strand plains; (2) inlet channels and tidal deltas, separating barriers laterally; and (3) washover fans on the landward or lagoonward side of barriers. Seaward or longshore migration of these environments results in facies sequences constituting much of the volume of many coastal sand bodies. For example, the emergent parts of many barriers and strand plains are underlain by progradational beach and shoreface sequences. Barrier sand bodies may also include sequences formed by coastwise or seaward migration of tidal inlets and tidal deltas.

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