Beach
![A sand and shingle beach](/Images/godic/202502/07/Man_o'war_cove_near_lulworth_dorset_arp4914.jpg")
![The four sections of most beaches.1. Swash zone: is alternately covered and exposed by wave run-up.2. Beach face: sloping section below berm that is exposed to the swash of the waves.3. Wrack line: the highest reach of the daily tide where organic and inorganic debris is deposited by wave action.4. Berm: Nearly horizontal portion that stays dry except during extremely high tides and storms. May have sand dunes.](/Images/godic/202502/07/Beach-sections4914.jpg")
![A popular Victorian seaside resort. Llandudno, 1856](/Images/godic/202502/07/Llandudno4915.jpeg")
![Brighton, The Front and the Chain Pier Seen in the Distance, early 19th century](/Images/godic/202502/07/Brighton,_the_front_and_the_chain_pier_seen_in_the_distance4915.jpg")
A beach is a landform along the coast of an ocean or sea. It usually consists of loose particles, which are often composed of rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, or cobblestones. The particles comprising a beach are occasionally biological in origin, such as mollusc shells or coralline algae.