The Holderness Coast

The Holderness Coast is one of

Europe’s fastest eroding
coastline.
Background Information
• The Holderness coast is located in the north east of England. This is one of
the most vulnerable coastlines in the world, retreating at a rate of one to two
metres a year. There are two causes of the problem.
• Strong prevailing winds create a longshore drift that moves material
southwards along the coast.
• The cliffs are made of soft clay, so they will erode quickly.
• The average rate of erosion is around 2 meters per year. The main reason
for this is because the bedrock is made of till which are material that are
deposited by glaciers over 18,000 year ago.

This is an aerial photograph of the Holderness

Coast. Already from this image we can see the
curved line which has been eroded by the sea.
Year after year, the Holderness Coast is clearing
out settlement by settlement. We can also see a
well known place, Flamborough.
Flamborough
• Flamborough is the headland that forms the most northerly point of the
Holderness Coast.
• It is an area of land which sticks out into the North Sea.
• It was made by erosion taking place from millions of years ago. Due to the
rock type the sea has not been able to destroy this type of rock easily. The
land around it however had land which were soft and easy to erode. So the
land retrieved around Flamborough and pushed put at Flamborough which
is why we have this type of land.
• The rocks around Flamborough are mainly limestone and till from glaciers.

This is a stack formed by erosion and has been

made after several years of erosion. These
structures are rare and only found when certain
types of weather occur at certain days of the
year.
Coastal Features Part 1
Coastal Features Part 2
• A wave cut platform is made by the cliff-face falling.
• A wave notch happens when a wave erodes the bottom of a cliff.
• A cave is made when water cracks and erodes the middle of a cliff.
• The cave is eroded more and turned into an arch.
• The top of the arch cracks and breaks leaving a stack.
• When the stack is eroded a stump is formed.
• Even the stump is eroded to nothing by the sea.
• All these happens due to erosion by water.
Types Of Erosion
• Hydraulic Action ; As the water nears the cliff, the water is compressed and
pushed into the rocks. When the water retreats, the water from the rocks
cause explosions which breaks the rock.
• Attrition ; Materials carried by the waves bump into each other and so are
smoothed and broken down smaller particles.
• Abrasion/Corrasion ; The moving water bombards the cliff with rock
fragments and drags others backwards and forwards over rock surfaces,
wearing them away.
• Corrosion ; This step is basically the acidity of the water eroding the rock.
Mappleton
• The town of Mappleton has approximately 50 properties.
• Coastal Management ;
Mappleton Video