This article is about the coastal feature. For other meanings see Cove (disambiguation)

A cove is a coastal landform. Earth scientists generally use the term to describe a circular or round inlet with a narrow entrance, though colloquially the term is sometimes used to describe any sheltered bay. Lulworth Cove, Dorset, England. ... Aerial view of Lulworth Cove Lulworth Cove is a cove near the village of West Lulworth, on the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site in Dorset, south England. ... Dorset (pronounced DOR-sit or [dɔ.sət], and sometimes in the past called Dorsetshire) is a county in the south-west of England, on the English Channel coast. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... Cove may refer to: Cove, geographic feature on a body of water Cove (standing stones), megalithic feature Cove, Dunbartonshire, village in Scotland Cove molding, decorative molding at the junction between a wall and ceiling Coving (urban planning), method of layout for housing subdivisions Cobh (pronounced cove), town in County Cork... A coastal image featured on a United States postal stamp. ... A landform comprises a geomorphological unit, and is largely defined by its surface form and location in the landscape, as part of the terrain, and as such, is typically an element of topography. ... Earth science (also known as geoscience, the geosciences or the Earth Sciences), is an all-embracing term for the sciences related to the planet Earth. ... Lulworth Cove in Dorset, England (Great Britain) A fjord (Lysefjorden) in Norway An inlet is a body of water, usually seawater, which has characteristics of one or more of the following: a bay a cove an estuary a firth a fjord a geo a sea loch a sea lough a... The bay at San Sebastián, Spain A headland is an area of land adjacent to water on three sides. ...

Coves form on concordant coastlines, where bands of rock of varying strength run parallel to the coast. Typically these will form where a narrow band of relatively strong rock, like limestone or an igneous rock forms the coastline, with a band of a weaker rock, such as clays and sands, behind it. Often another band of strong rock, such as limestone or chalk will form the back of the cove. The action of waves in weak areas, such as joints and cracks, in the band of rocks which form the cliffs eventually break through the strong rock, exposing the weak rock behind. The weak rock is quickly eroded by wave action, sub-aerial processes and weathering (which causes slumping). Wave diffraction occurs where waves travel through the narrow entrance and then disperse in the cove. Erosion is therefore equal at all points of the cove shoreline, and the perfect curve or circular shape is formed. A concordant coastline is a coastline where bands of different rock types run parallel to the shore. ... For other uses, see Limestone (disambiguation). ... Igneous rocks are formed when molten rock (magma) cools and solidifies, with or without crystallization, either below the surface as intrusive (plutonic) rocks or on the surface as extrusive (volcanic) rocks. ... For other uses, see Clay (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Sand (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Limestone (disambiguation). ... The Needles, situated on the Isle Of Wight, are part of the extensive Southern England Chalk Formation. ... A wave is a disturbance that propagates through space or spacetime, transferring energy and momentum and sometimes angular momentum. ... “Precipice” redirects here. ... For morphological image processing operations, see Erosion (morphology). ... Weathering is the decomposition of rocks, soils and their minerals through direct contact with the air. ... Slumping is a categorical description of an area of techniques for the forming of glass through the use of heating glass to the point where it becomes plastic. ... A wave is a disturbance that propagates through space or spacetime, transferring energy and momentum and sometimes angular momentum. ... The intensity pattern formed on a screen by diffraction from a square aperture Diffraction refers to various phenomena associated with wave propagation, such as the bending, spreading and interference of waves passing by an object or aperture that disrupts the wave. ...

Lulworth Cove on the Jurassic Coast in Dorset is a good example of a cove because just to the west of the cove the beginnings of a second cove, Stair Hole, can be seen forming. Aerial view of Lulworth Cove Lulworth Cove is a cove near the village of West Lulworth, on the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site in Dorset, south England. ... The Jurassic Coast is a World Heritage Site on the English Channel coast of southern England. ... Dorset (pronounced DOR-sit or [dɔ.sət], and sometimes in the past called Dorsetshire) is a county in the south-west of England, on the English Channel coast. ... Stair Hole is a relatively new cove which is forming just to the west of Lulworth Cove in Dorset. ...

Two examples of how coves form. The rock types are those of Lulworth Cove. In example A a river breaks through the resistant chalk back rock and limestone leaving the weak clays to be rapidly eroded. In example B the sea breaks through the limestone, perhaps by forming a cave, and then erodes the clay away.