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THE WORLDS'S COASTS: ONLINE - Puerto Rico
North Coast 1
The presence of a narrow insular shelf and the exposure to Atlantic swell and storms results in a higher wave regime than all the other coastlines. Seas generated by easterlies vary between low and high amplitude waves during the year. Swell and long period storm waves from the north and northeast reach the north coast during the winter.From the east end of the island to San Juan, the north coast is low and sandy, except for occasional eolianite bluffs. The low land extends three to seven kilometers inland. There are fairly widespread mangrove forests behind narrow beaches, dune systems and eolianites.
71. Cabo San Juan is a rocky point of volcanic rock with small sand beaches. East of the point, the low-lying coastal plain has mangrove forests.
72. From Aguas Prietas to Luquillo the shoreline is beach. Luquillo public beach is west of Pta. Embarcadero
73. The shoreline east of Pta. Miquilla is beach sand. photo USGS
74. Pta Miquilla and Pta. Picua are alluvial points. the vegetation was cleared from Pta. Picua more than 40 years ago.
From Luquillo to Arecibo, the north coast is a low-lying coastal plain. Beach sand, cemented dunes, beach rock, and mangrove swamps dominate. There are sandy beaches and dunes with occasionally rocky eolianite coast and beach rock coast from San Juan to Vega Baja. The coast is dominantly eolianite with numerous small lunate bays bordered by beaches from Vega Baja to Arecibo. There is some movement of the beach sand from one bay to another behind the eolianite ridges. From Río Espiritu Santos to San Juan the coastline is a beach plain with mangrove forests inshore from the beach. The exceptions to this are local shorelines of eolianite and beachrock.
75. The beach has disappeared at Punta Uvero as erosion has advanced inland and houses have been armored with riprap and boulders have been emplaced to protect condo development.
76. The Río Loiza has a double spit developed by refraction of approaching waves
77. Vacia Talega is an eolianite shoreline with only a narrow strip of land separating it from the mangrove forest.
78. Pinoñes beach fronts a mangrove forest and large sand dunes.
79. Playa Maldonada beach to Punta las Mareas, to the right is Punta Maldonada and Isla Verde beach with heavy riprap. Isla (island) Verde is a large public beach north of the airport (east side of San Juan). The east end of this beach has had episodes of major erosion.
80. The eastern part of the Isla Verde coastline is a public beach.
81. The western part of the Isla Verde coastline is shared by a cemetary and condos. The condos shadow the beach in the afternoon.
82. The Condado section of San Juan is a major hotel area. A curved groin was emplaced to create a beachfront for the hotels
83. The cruise ship docks are in San Juan Bay, south of old San Juan. The west end of this eolianite island is occupied by El Morro , the Spanish fort that guarded the entrance to San Juan Bay.
84. Joining Isla Cabras to Punta Palo Seco with a solid causeway altered the circulation pattern in Ensenada de Boca Vieja.
85. The Levittown flood channel empties into Ensenada de Boca Vieja. The southern part of this bay is rimmed with beachrock.
86. Punta Salinas is a classic tombolo that has been eroding for the past five decades. Riprap was emplaced to reduce erosion.
87. The cutoff stream meander shows the long term erosion of Cocal Beach, which has threatened the coastal highway. This beach ends as a spit at the Rio de la Plata.
88. From the Río de la Plata to Puerto Nuevo the shoreline is eolianite alternating with lunate and semilunate bays cut through the eolianite. Dorado del Mar is an urbanization and resort occupying the first bay. The next bay is in front of the Dorado Hotel. The next bay and last resort is the Cerromar Hotel.
89. Detached beachrock at Cibuco records the progress of beach retreat.
90. Puerto Nuevo lies behind a small tombollo that once was part of a lunate bay system.
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