Holderness Case Study Flashcards
Location of the Holderness coastline
North East of England
Outline of the Holderness coast
The north of the coastline starts at Flamborough Head and ends at Spurn Point.
Predominant geology
Boulder clay (very weak, crumbling)
What are the three main changes that have happened along the coastline?
The coastline has retreated
Spurn point has become more defined with more recurved ends visible.
There have been more deposits behind the spit to make a salt marsh.
What are is the rate of the erosion at Hornsea?
3m of erosion per year
What are the management strategies at Hornsea?
Sea Wall
Wooden Groynes repaired and built at a cost of £5.2m
What are the pitfalls of management in Hornsea?
Groynes prevent material reaching popular seaside towns to the South.
Tourism leads to congestion in the summer, negatively impacting on locals.
The wall is an unattractive feature
What is are the risks at Mappleton?
There was £2.9 million of damage a year before the management was put in place.
It produced a sandy beach and alos protects the town, a Grade 2 listed church and the B1242
What is the strategy at the Mappleton?
Rock Armour at a cost of £2 million
What is a limitation of a strategy in Mappleton?
South of Mappleton, the rate of erosion has increased significantly.
What is an important issue at Easington?
There is a Gas Terminal at Easington and 2.25% of all UK gas comes through this station.
What is a management strategy at Easington?
Rock Armour at a cost of £4.5m
What are the limitations of implemented strategies at Easington?
The scheme protects the gas terminal, not the village.
It is preventing material reaching Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) further South such as sand dunes.
What features and processes make Holderness coastline so distinctive?
the impressive chalk headland and cliffs near Flamborough
• the retreating clay cliffs of the Holderness Bay
• the 6km spit at Spurn Point
What are the advantages of groynes in Hornsea?
Groynes seem locally effective, they are relatively low cost, they are acceptable visually and development of low-lying land has now been possible
What are the disadvantages of groynes in the Hornsea?
this trapping of sand may have caused scour at Mappleton. Groynes rarely work on their own, maintenance is continual and groynes do not hold mud.
What are the erosion rates in Mappleton (distance from the sea)?
Erosion rates at Mappleton have long been recorded, and in 1786 the village was 3.5 kms from the sea. By 1988 the sea was on its doorstep
What are features of the scheme implemented in Mappleton?
two rock groynes designed to trap beach sediment, a rock revetment to prevent erosion of the cliffs
What is the cost of scheme implemented at Mappleton?
In 1991 a scheme was implemented at a cost of £2.1 million supported by EU funding.
What is the main disadvantage of the scheme implemented in Mappleton?
More worrying is the very rapid erosion of beaches, cliffs and farm buildings at Great Cowden 3 km to the south which may be linked to Mappleton’s growing beach
What is the state of the coastline in Mappleton in 2002?
The houses and the beach looks secure, but the re- garded cliffs behind are showing early signs of slumping. Beyond the second groyne the large rocks are being undermined and the cliff face below the car park has begun to erode (terminal scour).
Why is Holderness awarded a title of the most rapidly eroding coastline in Europe?
The combination of clay geology and a high-energy environment
What is an average rate of erosion along the Holderness coastline?
2 meters per year
