holderness case study

• Holderness Coast


  • Rock type is boulder clay
  • Exposed to strong waves from the North Sea
  • Harder chalk rocks at Flamborough Head
• Physical processes at work

  1. coastal erosion - a Combination of strong waves and rock type ensure the coast is eroded rapidly

  2. Mean rate of erosion is 2m/year

  3. One of the fastest eroding coastlines in Europe
• Physical processes at work - Mass movement & Transportation

  1. Mass movement- Clay frequently slumps from cliffs after rainfall

  2. Transportation - Waves move the eroded material away from the coastline
• Physical processes at work - Transportation

  strong Waves move the eroded material away from the coastline
• Human processes at work

  • Rock armour and groynes at Mappleton have protected some areas from erosion and cliff collapse
  • Hard engineering in some places has prevented transportation, making erosion worse in other places
• Changes caused - Some parts of this coastline are retreating at a rate of nearly 2m/year
• Changes caused - Farmland, property, and settlements have been lost to the sea, permanently changing the landscape