HOLOCENE SPIT DEVELOPMENT ON A REGRESSIVE SHORELINE, DORNOCH-FIRTH, SCOTLAND

The series of raised and modern spits and beaches which characterise t he Dornoch Firth coastline are described. The beaches and spits in the inner firth are relatively small, having developed during the mid-Hol ocene with little-subsequent modification. In the central firth, large spit complexes developed on the northern and southern shorelines exte nding westwards during the mid-Holocene. However, during the later Hol ocene, spit growth was towards the east on the southern shore and towa rds the southwest on the northern shore. In the outer firth, spit and beach development mainly occurred during the later Holocene. The devel opment of spits at the mouth of the firth changed the wave energy envi ronment in the central section and resulted in the marked changes in s pit alignment in this area. The features also indicate that during the rise and culmination of the Main Postglacial Transgression coarse ela stic sediments derived from cliff erosion dominated. In contrast durin g the later Holocene, when relative sea level fell, sand-sized materia l derived from the nearshore and offshore zone predominated.