tetrapod
Sign in to saveAlso known as tetrapod block, stabilopod, dolosse, tetrapod(structure)
type of structure in coastal engineering
~4 min read
Encyclopedic overview
Tetrapods on Graciosa Island, Azores Tetrapods in Latvia Tetrapods protecting a marina on Crete, Greece.
A tetrapod is a form of wave-dissipating concrete block used to prevent erosion caused by weather and longshore drift, primarily to enforce coastal structures such as seawalls and breakwaters. Tetrapods are made of concrete, and use a tetrahedral shape to dissipate the force of incoming waves by allowing water to flow around rather than against them, and to reduce displacement by interlocking.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “tetrapod” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.