A tombolo is a sandy or shingle isthmus. A tombolo, from the Italian tombolo, meaning 'pillow' or 'cushion', and sometimes translated incorrectly as ayre (an ayre is a shingle beach of any kind), is a deposition landform by which an island becomes attached to the mainland by a narrow piece of land such as a spit or bar.[1] Once attached, the island is then known as a tied island.
Several islands tied together by bars which rise above the water level are called a tombolo cluster.[2] Two or more tombolos may form an enclosure (called a lagoon) that can eventually fill with sediment.
- ^ De Mahiques, Michel Michaelovitch (2016). "Tombolo". Encyclopedia of Estuaries. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. pp. 713–714. doi:10.1007/978-94-017-8801-4_349. ISBN 978-94-017-8800-7. Archived from the original on 2021-06-14. Retrieved 2021-04-05.
- ^ Glossary of Geology and Related Sciences. The American Geological Institute, 1957