Coal is a type of solid-state combustible organic rock, which is transformed from plant remains by complex biochemistry, physical chemistry and geochemistry effects also known as the coal-forming process. Through deposition, coal eventually forms a seam within coal measure strata.

This book arises from a two day international conference held at the Geological Society of London in November 1998. The meeting was organized with the purpose of bringing together sedimentologists, geomorphologists, archaeologists, environmental scientists and environmental managers to discuss recent research and topical issues relating to the interactions between natural processes, morphology and human activities in coastal and estuarine environments. More than 200 delegates, from 16 countries, attended the meeting over the course of the two days, stimulating lively discussion both about basic scientific issues and management implications. The meeting was sponsored by the British Sedimentological Research Group, the British Geomorphological Research Group, and English Heritage, and was also supported by the Environmental Sedimentology Committee of the International Association of Sedimentologists. The editors would like to thank these organizations, together with staff at the Geological Society and numerous daily helpers, especially postgraduate students and others from the University of Reading, for their generous assistance in making the meeting a great success

At the outset of this book, it is important to articulate clearly what we mean by ‘coast’, because the term means different things to different people. For most holidaymakers, the coast is synonymous with the beach. For birdwatchers, the coast generally refers to the intertidal zone; while for cartographers, the coast is simply a line on the map separating the land from the sea. Coastal scientists and managers tend to take a broader view.According to our perspective, the coast represents that region of the Earth’s surface that has been affected by coastal processes, i.e. waves and tides, during the Quaternary geological period (the last 2.6M years).

At first glance, coastal tectonics is as redundant a category as inland tectonics, for the shoreline does not necessarily coincide with a distinctive geodynamic environment. What prompted the international conference on the subject that led to this book was the Editors' conviction that coasts favour the study of active tectonics (a) by providing a reference datum- namely sea level- against which deformation can be measured and (b) by supplying datable material and environmental clues with which the progress of deformation can be traced <...>