Case Study: Holderness
The Holderness coast is a stretch of coastline in the north east of England (east riding of Yorkshire) stretching from Flamborough Head to Spurn Head, 61 Km long. The coastline is eroding very rapidly, About 1.8 m every yea
eroding coastlines in Europe ,The average annual rate of erosion around 2 metres per year but in some sections of the coast, rates of loss are as high as 10 metres per year.
n the last 2000 years the coastline has retreated by almost 400m and since Roman times over 30 villages have disappeared into the sea between Bridlington and Spurn Head. The coast is made up of a mixture of clays which
sloping chalk. The boulder clay and glacial till was deposited 12,000 years ago by glaciers.
The coastline has three distinct coastal units :
The Holderness Coast is part of the Sediment Cell and is Cell 2. Within this cell the main input is erosion of the weak clay.
The sediment cell is defined by the headlands of Flamborough Head and Spurn Head.
Flamborough Head; in the north and made out of Chalk a resistant, sedimentary rock
Faults and joints are weaknesses in the chalk and are broken by the process of weathering and erosion
The sea is constantly eroding the base of the cliff, overtime the cliff retreats, forming wave-cut platforms and stacks
Bridlington Bay to Spurn; made out of Boulder Clay, this area is where majority of the erosion happens
The rate of erosion is 2m per year
It is vulnerable to erosion because it is made out of boulder clay
But it does generate a vast amount of sediment that feeds the sediment cell
Spurn Head is sustained by this sediment transfer and plays an important role of protecting the towns and land
Spurn Head; made out of Boulder Clay and is a spit
Temporary sediment store or sink
Much of the material that forms the spit is obtained from the Holderness Coast and is transferred to the south by longshore drift
Factors affecting the Coastal System
Marine Processes: the size of the fetch, the frequency of both sea storms and longshore drift affects deposition to keep a narrow beach.
Most cliffs are made of till (‘boulder clay’)- destructive waves.
Erosion:
The clay is easily eroded.
At Great Cowden, the rate of erosion is 10m/year.
Rapid rate of erosion- This has created a threat to settlement and infrastructure, so hard engineering structures has been placed to protect these infrastructure
Mass Movement:
Cliffs are prone to slumping when it’s wet.
Transportation/deposition:
LSD goes North->South, and is deposited near Humber Estuary.
A long fetch, under the influence of north-easterly winds, creates larger waves with strong backwash that erode the exposed cliff.
Holderness is on the track of mid-latitude depressions that increase the frequency of destructive waves so more material is removed.
The Holderness coast is a stretch of coastline in the north east of England (east riding of Yorkshire) stretching from Flamborough Head to Spurn Head, 61 Km long. The coastline is eroding very rapidly, About 1.8 m every yea
eroding coastlines in Europe ,The average annual rate of erosion around 2 metres per year but in some sections of the coast, rates of loss are as high as 10 metres per year.
n the last 2000 years the coastline has retreated by almost 400m and since Roman times over 30 villages have disappeared into the sea between Bridlington and Spurn Head. The coast is made up of a mixture of clays which
sloping chalk. The boulder clay and glacial till was deposited 12,000 years ago by glaciers.
The coastline has three distinct coastal units :
The Holderness Coast is part of the Sediment Cell and is Cell 2. Within this cell the main input is erosion of the weak clay.
The sediment cell is defined by the headlands of Flamborough Head and Spurn Head.
Flamborough Head; in the north and made out of Chalk a resistant, sedimentary rock
Faults and joints are weaknesses in the chalk and are broken by the process of weathering and erosion
The sea is constantly eroding the base of the cliff, overtime the cliff retreats, forming wave-cut platforms and stacks
Bridlington Bay to Spurn; made out of Boulder Clay, this area is where majority of the erosion happens
The rate of erosion is 2m per year
It is vulnerable to erosion because it is made out of boulder clay
But it does generate a vast amount of sediment that feeds the sediment cell
Spurn Head is sustained by this sediment transfer and plays an important role of protecting the towns and land
Spurn Head; made out of Boulder Clay and is a spit
Temporary sediment store or sink
Much of the material that forms the spit is obtained from the Holderness Coast and is transferred to the south by longshore drift
Factors affecting the Coastal System
Marine Processes: the size of the fetch, the frequency of both sea storms and longshore drift affects deposition to keep a narrow beach.
Most cliffs are made of till (‘boulder clay’)- destructive waves.
Erosion:
The clay is easily eroded.
At Great Cowden, the rate of erosion is 10m/year.
Rapid rate of erosion- This has created a threat to settlement and infrastructure, so hard engineering structures has been placed to protect these infrastructure
Mass Movement:
Cliffs are prone to slumping when it’s wet.
Transportation/deposition:
LSD goes North->South, and is deposited near Humber Estuary.
A long fetch, under the influence of north-easterly winds, creates larger waves with strong backwash that erode the exposed cliff.
Holderness is on the track of mid-latitude depressions that increase the frequency of destructive waves so more material is removed.
