 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2009) |
A barachois is a term used in Atlantic Canada, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Réunion and Mauritius to describe a coastal lagoon partially or totally separated from the ocean by a sand or shingle bar. Sometimes the bar is constructed of boulders, as is the case at Freshwater Bay near St. John’s, Newfoundland. Salt water may enter the barachois during high tide.
The bar often is formed as a result of sediment deposited in the delta region of a river or – as is the case in Miquelon – by a tombolo.