Variations in grain‐size and sorting on two kaikoura beaches

Two exposed, high‐energy beaches on the Kaikoura coast of New Zealand are composed of sand and gravel derived from a greywacke terrain. Both beaches can be classified as mixed beaches although the sediment varies from dominantly gravel at the ends of the beach to dominantly sand at the centre, through transition zones in which sand and gravel are mixed. Sixty‐four surface samples were analysed for grain size; two sediment parameters, mean grain size (M_z) and sorting (σ_I), were calculated.

A striking feature of the cumulative frequency curves is that both unimodai and bimodal distributions include median sizes over the whole range of sampled material, even though bimodal samples display two strong modes in the sand and gravel grades. The general deficiency lof sediment dn the very coarse sand and granule classes (0 to — 2 _F ) noted by numerous authors in many parts of the world is apparent in the poorly‐sorted bimodal samples. However, the best‐sorted samples also occur in these two classes.

Mean grain size of samples ranges from medium sand (1.820) to medium pebbles (—4.7 _F ), and sorting ranges from very well sorted (0.250) to very poorly sorted (2.69 _F ). Mean erain size on the northern beach is significantly greater than on the southern beach, but values of sorting are comparable. The greater mean size on one beach compared with the other is thought to be a function of the grade of material supplied by local rivers; the similarity in sorting presumably reflects the similarity of the processes acting on the two beaches.

Mixed sand‐shingle beaches are relatively rare on a world scale but common in New Zealand. Sediment distributions along the Kaikoura beaches do not reveal a regular decrease in size away from the rivers which supply material to shore at present. Instead, the beaches are differentiated into a number of sediment zones composed of either sand, or mixed sand‐gravel, or gravel. On each beach a gravel zone is located furthest from the river outlets. Sorting generally improves toward the Kaikoura Peninsula. Explanations for these trends are not given. Variations in size and sorting across the two beaches do not show a well developed zonation because of the high level of wave energy which continually mixes the material across the beach.