On Beaches, why are smaller stones found nearer to the sea and larger stones found furthest from the sea?

Question

Smaller stones tend to be found very near the sea and larger stones are found further away. Why is this?!!

Answer 1

Stones on beaches, what are they?

In Oz, if there is beach, it is evenly sized sand - no stones - except for an extremely small number of pebbly beaches, or places where the cliff recently shed a bit. Truly.

Water erosion  carries away the finest sand, then re-deposits it.  The waves can range from violent to benign.

The Gold Coast is subjected to storms that rip away the beach, and not long after, the beach re-builds itself leaving behind the larger particles at the edge.

The smaller particles get carried back out because they are lighter.

The cycle continues.  Maybe this is why some English beaches are rock and stone - insufficient wave power to transport the sands around?

Answer 2

this is due to whats called "attrition".  The waves are a force that pummels rock and the clsoer the rock to the sea, the more its pumeled and thus it breaks up a lot more than the rock further away from the sea.