Coasts - Holderness Flashcards
Where is the Holderness coastline located?
Eastern coast of England
What is the Humber Estuary classified as?
An SSSI
What rock type makes up most of the Holderness coastline?
Boulder clay
Is boulder clay hard or soft rock?
Soft rock
What rock type is Flamborough Head?
Chalk
What erosional features are present at Flamborough Head?
- Caves
- Arches
- Stacks
Is chalk hard or soft rock?
Hard rock
Where does the boulder clay material that is eroded along the Holderness Coast get deposited?
Spurn Point
How does the sediment eroded at the Holderness coast get transported to Spurn Point.
Longshore drift
What type of landform is Spurn Point?
Spit
Where is the Humber Estuary?
Behind Spurn Point
Why is Spurn Point a recurved spit?
Due to the Humber Estuary behind it.
Why is the Humber Estuary so important?
- SSSI
- Promotes biodiversity due to presence of mudflats, saltmarshes and bird species.
- 14% of all UK International trade passes through.
- Diverse range of industries present (gas terminals, power stations etc…).
What towns along the Holderness coastline are at risk due to erosion?
Bridlington
Hornsea
Mappleton
Withernsea
Kilnsea
How did the geology of the Holderness Coastline develop as a result of glacial change?
Before glaciation, the coastline began at the chalk layer of rock. Glaciation resulted in ice sheets depositing boulder clay in front of the chalk.
What type of coastline is the Holderness coastline?
Discordant
Why is the rate of erosion of the Holderness coastline so high?
- Boulder clay is a soft rock type.
- Very long fetch results in stronger waves forming over the North Sea, typically destructive.
- Climate change increasing storm frequency.
- Strong movement of sediment due to longshore drift.
- Narrow beach along the coast means that the cliff base is regularly eroded.
What do the boulder clay cliffs suffer from when saturated?
Increased runoff leading to slumping
What human factors play a part along the Holderness coastline?
- Presence of people turns the processes into hazards.
- Interference with longshore drift due to groynes.
- Global warming.
Hard engineering techniques used at Mappleton:
- Groynes
Hard engineering techniques used at Withernsea:
- Sea walls
- Groynes
- Rock armour
Soft engineering techniques used at Mappleton:
- Cliff regrading
- Beach nourishment
What management technique has been implemented at Spurn Point?
Retreat
When was Spurn Point officially abandoned?
1995
Evaluation of retreat technique at Spurn Point:
- No practical solution, so saving annual costs.
- Concerns of loss of community, lifeboat and coastguard station.
- Environmental impacts (bird species are losing a habitat).
Hard engineering techniques used at Hornsea:
- Sea walls
- Groynes
Soft engineering techniques used at Hornsea:
- Beach nourishment
What are the 2 main holiday resorts on the Holderness Coastline?
- Withernsea
- Hornsea
What are the advantages of Hornsea’s coastal management plan?
- Groynes are locally effective and have benefited tourism by protecting beaches.
- Groynes are cheap and acceptable visually.
What are the disadvantages of Hornsea’s coastal management plan?
- Maintainance of groynes is continual.
- Areas down the coast (e.g Mappleton) are starved of sediment.
- Sea walls are expensive.
What are the advantages of Mappleton’s coastal management plan?
- Cliff regrading is the only practical solution for clay cliffs.
- Groynes are cheap.
What are the disadvantages of Mappleton’s coastal management plan?
- Evidence showing that the management scheme has been unsuccessful: the cliffs from 2002 were showing early signs of slumping.
- Groynes are causing erosion down the coast. The cliff face supporting the car park is at risk of collapse.
What are the advantages of Withernsea’s coastal management plan?
- Successful implementation of ‘hold the line’ technique, saving seasonal jobs at the resort and calming residents.
- Groynes are cheap.
What are the disadvantages of Withernsea’s coastal management plan?
- Sea wall is very expensive, limiting its length.
- Wave noise becoming an issue due to rock armour.
- Access issues to the beach due to rock armour.
