The offshore zone lies below fair weather wave base and is therefore unaffected by normal waves. The offshore zone normally only receives fine sediment that settles from suspension (but can receive coarser grained sediment during storms, when wave base is lowered). The shoreface zone lies above fair weather wave base and is constantly affected by normal waves. The gentle gradient of the lower shoreface results from the smoothing out of sediment associated with the back and forth movement of the waves.
Lecture on Offshore Zone
