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Headlands
Where there are hard and soft rocks along a coast, the harder rocks are left standing out as headlands.
Many parts of the coast have areas of hard rocks, separated by areas that are made of softer rocks. Waves can wear away soft rock faster and, as a result, form a coast of headlands and bays.
Headlands
A headland is a part of the coastline that juts out to sea. It is always made of the hardest rock along the coast. This is why it has been able to stand up to the battering of the waves more successfully than the rocks nearby (picture ).
Because headlands run out to sea, waves can attack them on two sides (pictures 2 and 3). This gives the waves a chance to wear away weaker parts of the headland (see also page 14).
The remains of where the headland used to be are often found standing out to sea beyond the present cliffs. They show you how even the hardest rocks at the coast are worn away under the pounding of waves.
Headlands are places of deep water. They get a tremendous battering by waves during storms, and rocks that fall from the cliffs are quickly swept away into the more sheltered parts of the bays. This is why headlands rarely have beaches at their feet. Despite all the pounding, because the rocks in headlands are harder than other parts of the coast, headlands are never worn away completely, but always stand out from bays.
Waves close up on the headlands
Waves spread out in the bay
E  When waves
move onto a coast where
there are bays and headlands,
the waves spread out in a bay
(and so become less powerful), and they swing towards the headlands (and so become more powerful). The arrows show how this happens.
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