Physical Geography
The East Coast is a low-relief, passive margin coast. It has been shaped by the Pleistocene glaciation as far south as New York, with offshore islands Nantucket, Block Island, Fishers Island, Long Island and Staten Island the result of terminal moraines. Longshore drift currents have formed an intermittent series of barrier beaches that enclose sounds that stretch from Long Island Sound southward along the unglaciated coast. The coastal plain broadens southwards, separated from the Piedmont districts by the Atlantic Seaboard fall line of the East Coast rivers, often marking the head of navigation, prominent sites of cities.
The seaboard is susceptible to hurricanes in the Atlantic hurricane season, officially running from June 1 to November 30, although hurricanes can occur before or after these dates.
Read more about this topic: East Coast Of The United States
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