Shanklin Flashcards
What did some home-owners decide to do to improve their property at Shanklin? What were the consequences of doing this?
The owners of some of the houses at the toe of the cliff at Shanklin decided to enlarge their gardens by eating in to the toe of the cliff. Consequently there were rock falls which filled in the garden anyway. Rock falls in this area can weigh up to 1000 tons.
What have been the main methods of improving the stability of the cliff in the Shanklin area? Have the methods been successful and implemented appropriately?
Shanklin is an example of the use of rock anchors to attempt to stabilise the cliff. The anchors consist of a plate on the cliff face which is bolted to a rod buried in to the cliff. This imposes an additional compressive force on the cliff face in attempt to prevent any rock falls. The anchors must be made long enough to ensure stable material is being utilised within the rock. One set of anchors were installed a number of decades ago and now the plates are not actually in contact with the surface of the cliff due to progressive erosion of the rock, this effectively renders them useless. You may say that they were never necessary as there have not been any falls anyway. More recent attempts have been made to secure the cliff using the same system. The plates, in this case are, in contact with cliff and are improving the stability. However, the plates are very small and only apply the compressive force over a small area. Bigger plates should be used.
What has been used on the cliff face to limit the consequences of any rock falls in the Shanklin area? Has this been effective?
Mesh netting has been put in place over parts of the cliff to limit the effects of any falls. It’s main purpose is to arrest any rock falls which occur by catching them in the netting. Examples of loose rock can be seen in the netting suggesting that the method has been effective. Note this does not actually improve the stability of the cliff and is there mainly to limit any consequences.
