What is unique about the Holderness coastline?

What is unique about the Holderness coastline?

The Holderness Coastline is in the North of England and runs between the Humber Estuary in the south and a headland at Flamborough head. It has the unenviable reputation as the number one place in Europe for coastal erosion, and in a stormy year waves from the North sea can remove between 7 and 10m of coastline.

What is the Holderness coastline made of?

The Holderness Coastline is made up of soft boulder clays (tills) left after the retreat of the Devensian ice sheets about 12 000 years ago. They can be seen on the coast, being rapidly eroded by the sea.

What are the physical causes of erosion?

Erosion is the geological process in which earthen materials are worn away and transported by natural forces such as wind or water. A similar process, weathering, breaks down or dissolves rock, but does not involve movement. Most erosion is performed by liquid water, wind, or ice (usually in the form of a glacier).

What is Holderness coastline?

The Holderness coast is located on the east coast of England and is part of the East Riding of Yorkshire; a lowland agricultural region of England that lies between the chalk hills of the Wolds and the North Sea. Figure 1. The Holderness Coast is one of Europe’s fastest eroding coastlines.

What type of coastline is Holderness?

Type of coast: soft rock coast, beaches (with glacial mud, sand and boulders) . Other: Sea level rise (6 mm/year) and land subsidence.

Where is Holderness coastline located?

east coast of England
The Holderness coast is located on the east coast of England and is part of the East Riding of Yorkshire; a lowland agricultural region of England that lies between the chalk hills of the Wolds and the North Sea. The Holderness Coast is one of Europe’s fastest eroding coastlines.

How are spits formed?

Spits are also created by deposition. A spit is an extended stretch of beach material that projects out to sea and is joined to the mainland at one end. Spits are formed where the prevailing wind blows at an angle to the coastline, resulting in longshore drift.

How has the Holderness coastline changed over time?

Under lying the Holderness Coast is bedrock made up of Cretaceous Chalk. However, in most place this is covered by glacial till deposited over 18,000 years ago. It is this soft boulder clay that is being rapidly eroded. There are two main reasons why this area of coast is eroding so rapidly.

Why does Holderness coast need protecting?

Advantages – Protects the base of cliffs, land and buildings against erosion. Over time the wall may begin to erode. The cost of maintenance is high. Advantages = Prevents the movement of beach material along the coast by longshore drift.

How has the Holderness coast changed?

The coastline is rapidly eroding at an average of 1.8 metres a year. There are several reasons why the coast at Holderness is eroding so quickly: Powerful waves – waves at Holderness travel long distances over the North Sea (so have a long fetch ) which means they will increase in energy.

What is the Holderness coast used for?

The Holderness Coast is a great case study to use when examining coastal processes and the features associated with them. This is because the area contains ‘textbook’ examples of coastal erosion and deposition. The exposed chalk of Flamborough provides examples of erosion, features such as caves, arches and stacks.

What is the Holderness coastline?

The Holderness coastline is located on the east coast of England. It is the fastest eroding coastline in Europe. The coastline is rapidly eroding at an average of 1.8 metres a year.

What is the geology of Holderness?

Geology. Underlying the Holderness Coast is bedrock made up of Cretaceous Chalk. However, in most places, this is covered by glacial till deposited over 18,000 years ago. It is this soft boulder clay that is being rapidly eroded. There are two main reasons why this area of coast is eroding so rapidly.

How fast does the Holderness coast erode?

Because the clay is weak and less resistant rock, it erodes rapidly. In fact, the Holderness Coast is one of Europe’s fastest eroding coastlines. The average annual rate of erosion is around 2 metres per year – in a stormy year destructive waves from the North Sea can remove between 7 and 10m of coastline.

What are the Holderness cliffs made of?

The second is that the cliffs are made of soft boulder clay which erodes rapidly when saturated. The Holderness Coast is a great case study to use when examining coastal processes and the features associated with them. This is because the area contains ‘textbook’ examples of coastal erosion and deposition.