terrace (beach)

the wide gently sloping portion of the beach that lies under the surf zone between the breakpoint of the waves and the more steeply inclined beach face. Syn: low-tide terrace. Cf: beach face, breakpoint bar, surf zone.

total load (sediment)

the total mass of sediment transported by a stream of water or a shallow ocean current, consisting of the bedload, suspended load, and washload.

trailing-edge coasts

coasts that occur on the trailing-edge of a land mass that moves with the plate. Typically these are wide-shelf plains coasts as along the Atlantic coasts of North and South America.

transform fault

a plate boundary that exhibits strike-slip displacement.

transgression

the gradual spread or extension of the sea over land, usu by rising sea level associated with interglacial epochs.