Sea/Littoral Caves

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Sea kayaker paddles past a cave opening on Santa Cruz Island, Channel Islands National Park, California.

NPS Photo by Hidekatsu Kajitani.

[Site Under Development]

Introduction

Sea or littoral caves are formed by the action of waves pounding against rocks that line the shores of oceans and larger lakes. These types of caves are evidence of the enormous power of waves and may be further modified and enlarged by wave-carried sand and gravel.

 

Icicles adorn a sea cave along Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, Wisconsin.

NPS Photo by Neil Howk.

Featured Stories

• Apostle Islands Sea Caves

• Coastal Geology—Rocky Coast Landforms

 

Photos and Multimedia

 

 

Find Your Park—Sea/Littoral Caves

The following is a partial list of National Park Service units that include sea or littoral caves:

• Acadia National Park, Maine—[Geodiversity Atlas] [Park Home]

• Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, Wisconsin—[Geodiversity Atlas] [Park Home]

• Channel Islands National Park, California—[Geodiversity Atlas] [Park Home]

• Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Michigan—[Geodiversity Atlas] [Park Home]

• Point Reyes National Seashore, California—[Geodiversity Atlas] [Park Home]

 

Other Cave Types

Karst Landscapes | Solution Caves | Lava Caves or Tubes | Sea or Litttoral Caves | Talus Caves | Glacier Ice Caves

 

Related Links

• More Park Landforms
• NPS—Caves and Karst
• NPS—Fossils and Paleontology
• NPS—Geohazards
• NPS—Geology