Holderness Case Study
The Holderness coastline is very low lying and runs along the North East coast of the UK from the chalk cliffs of Flamborough Head in the north to the sand spit of Spurn Point in the south, a distance of 61 km.
The Holderness Coast is famous due to its history of being one of Europe's fastest eroding coastlines. Essentially erosion is the process by which coastline rocks are broken up by the action of the sea and transported out to sea or along the coast by waves and the wind. Coastal erosion can occur in numerous forms:
Seawater can compress air into cracks in rocks. When the air escapes it does so under pressure and shatters the rock (hydraulic action)
Large waves throw beach material against the cliffs - a process known as corrasion.
In a process known as attrition waves cause rocks and pebbles to crash into each other, causing them to break up.
Certain types of coastal material, such as chalk are slowly corroded by acids dissolved in the sea water.
Coastal erosion processes create a number of significant landforms. There are a number of factors which affect the rate of this erosion:
Rock Type – A more resistant rock, such as granite, will be eroded slowly, whilst a less resistant rock, such as clay or mud, can be eroded very quickly.
Jointing / Faulting – The more faults and joints a rock has the more susceptible it is to erosion, both from coastal and sub-aerial processes.
One more point to consider before I look specifically at the Holderness Coast is the two different types of waves:
Constructive waves - have a strong swash (movement up the beach) and a weak backwash (movement back down the beach).
Destructive waves have a weak swash (movement up the beach) and a strong backwash (movement back down the beach).
The Holderness Coast is one of Europe's fastest eroding coastlines. The average annual rate of erosion is around 2 metres per year. This is around 2 million tonnes of material every year and since Roman times 4 km of land has
The Holderness Coast is famous due to its history of being one of Europe's fastest eroding coastlines. Essentially erosion is the process by which coastline rocks are broken up by the action of the sea and transported out to sea or along the coast by waves and the wind. Coastal erosion can occur in numerous forms:
Seawater can compress air into cracks in rocks. When the air escapes it does so under pressure and shatters the rock (hydraulic action)
Large waves throw beach material against the cliffs - a process known as corrasion.
In a process known as attrition waves cause rocks and pebbles to crash into each other, causing them to break up.
Certain types of coastal material, such as chalk are slowly corroded by acids dissolved in the sea water.
Coastal erosion processes create a number of significant landforms. There are a number of factors which affect the rate of this erosion:
Rock Type – A more resistant rock, such as granite, will be eroded slowly, whilst a less resistant rock, such as clay or mud, can be eroded very quickly.
Jointing / Faulting – The more faults and joints a rock has the more susceptible it is to erosion, both from coastal and sub-aerial processes.
One more point to consider before I look specifically at the Holderness Coast is the two different types of waves:
Constructive waves - have a strong swash (movement up the beach) and a weak backwash (movement back down the beach).
Destructive waves have a weak swash (movement up the beach) and a strong backwash (movement back down the beach).
The Holderness Coast is one of Europe's fastest eroding coastlines. The average annual rate of erosion is around 2 metres per year. This is around 2 million tonnes of material every year and since Roman times 4 km of land has