Kimberley-Territory Division

The Kimberley-Territory division includes the rugged Kimberley coast and the low western and northern coast of the Northern Territory (NT). This is a remote difficult-to-assess coast dominated by meso through mega-tides, low waves and a monsoonal climate, all exposed to trade winds and periodic tropical cyclones. The Kimberley coast is dominated by its deeply dissected joint-aligned geology and is a predominately steep rocky shore with small usually embayed beaches and extensive mangroves in sheltered areas. The NT coast is low with several rivers building deltas and extensive tide-dominated beaches and their wide tidal flats, with mangroves occupying all lower energy section of the coast. Barrier development is limited and usually restricted to regressive beach-foredune ridges, with a few areas of dune transgression. The chapter describes the geology, climate and coast and biological processes that have contributed to the formation of the coast.