Case Study - Holderness

Question 1

What is the length of the coastline?

Answer 1

61km

Question 2

What are most of the cliffs made from?

Answer 2

Till (boulder clay)

Question 3

Wave type on this coast?

Answer 3

Destructive from North Sea during storms

Question 4

Coastal Processes (D E M)

Answer 4

Deposition: caused by Humber River meeting ocean current causing turbulent and depositing material

Erosion: soft boulder clay is easily eroded by wave action. Great Cowden = 10m/year in recent years.

Mass movement: boulder clay prone to slumping, water acts as lubricant to becomes unstable.

Question 5

Headlands and wave cut platforms

Answer 5

Boulder clay overlies chalk which is harder and so erodes slower =. This forms Headland and wave cut platforms

Question 6

Effects that slumping has on Holderness Coast.

Answer 6

Frequent slumps cause distinctive shape. Some slumps not yet eroded leaving a pile of land, called a tiered

Question 7

Shape of the beach?

Answer 7

Wide sand and pebble beach due to sheltered from wind and waves.

Question 8

Sand Dunes

Answer 8

Spurn Head, sand deposited by wind and makes sand dunes.

Question 9

Spits, Mudflats and saltmarshes

Answer 9

Recurved end due to longshore drift of spit. Mudflats and saltmarshes appear.

Question 10

Retreat

Answer 10

Retreated by 4km over past 2000 years. 30 villages lost

Question 11

Affects of ongoing erosion

Answer 11

Loss of infrastructure,, loss of settlements and livelihoods. Loss of scientifically interesting areas.

Question 12

Hard Engineering on the Holderness Coast

Answer 12

11km protected by HE. Sea wall and timber groyne. Rip rap cost 2 mill. Gabions to protect parks.

Question 13

Existing Schemes- Not sustainable

Answer 13

Groynes make beach wider but more erosion of cliffs. Sediment from this erosion ends up in Humber estuary. Protection leading to bays being formed.