A shore or shoreline is the fringe of land at the edge of a large body of water, such as an ocean, sea, or lake. In Physical Oceanography a shore is the wider fringe that is geologically modified by the action of the body of water past and present, while the beach is at the edge of the shore, representing the intertidal zone where there is one. In contrast to a coast, a shore can border any body of water, while the coast must border an ocean; that is, a coast is a type of shore. Shore is often substituted for coast where an oceanic shore is meant.
Shores are influenced by the topography of the surrounding landscape, as well as by water induced erosion, such as waves. The geological composition of rock and soil dictates the type of shore which is created.
Famous quotes containing the word shore:
“Think how stood the white pine tree on the shore of the Chesuncook, its branches soughing with the four winds, and every individual needle trembling in the sunlight,—think how it stands with it now,—sold, perchance, to the New England Friction-Match Company!”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“It’s so lonely here. Like we were the only two people left in the whole world. Maybe we are. Maybe when we get back to shore everybody else will have disappeared. I’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
—Michael Wilson (1914–1978)