Observations of Beach Cusps at Mono Lake, California

Research Article| November 01, 1973 Observations of Beach Cusps at Mono Lake, California PAUL D. KOMAR PAUL D. KOMAR 1School of Oceanography, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information PAUL D. KOMAR 1School of Oceanography, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331 Publisher: Geological Society of America First Online: 01 Jun 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2674 Print ISSN: 0016-7606 Geological Society of America GSA Bulletin (1973) 84 (11): 3593–3600. https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1973)84<3593:OOBCAM>2.0.CO;2 Article history First Online: 01 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation PAUL D. KOMAR; Observations of Beach Cusps at Mono Lake, California. GSA Bulletin 1973;; 84 (11): 3593–3600. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1973)84<3593:OOBCAM>2.0.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGSA Bulletin Search Advanced Search Abstract Beach cusps, uniformly spaced mounds or ridges of sediments that trend at right angles to the shoreline, are observed at Mono Lake, California. The cusps have spacings ranging from 11 to 59 cm, making them some of the smallest examples of natural beach cusps that have been described in geologic literature. They possess all the features observed in the much larger cusps found on ocean beaches: the same basic morphology, similar sediment sorting, and the same water circulation about the cusps. They form best when the lake is essentially glassy smooth and only surging, nonbreaking waves arrive at the shoreline. It is concluded that edge waves, waves trapped by refraction to the nearshore, probably account for the cusp formation and rhythmic spacing. This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.