Where is the Holderness coast in the

UK?
The Holderness coastline is
located on the east coast of
England. It is the fastest
eroding coastline in Europe.
The coastline is rapidly eroding
at an average of 1.8 metres a
year.

The coastline today is around

4km inland from where it was in
Roman times (2000 years ago).
Nowadays, farmland, caravan
parks and villages are under
threat.
 Erosion at Holderness
There are several reasons why the coast at Holderness is
eroding so quickly:
• Geology (rock type) - the cliffs are made from less-
resistant boulder clay (made from sands and clays) which
slumps when wet.
• Naturally narrow beaches - these beaches give less
protection to the coast as it doesn't reduce the power
of the waves.
• Man-made structures - groynes have been installed to
stop long-shore drift. This narrows unprotected beaches
elsewhere even more.
• Powerful waves - waves at Holderness travel long
distances over the North Sea (so have a long fetch)
which means they will increase in energy.
 Rate (speed) of erosion
• For centuries there has been an erosion problem
along the Holderness coast, which stretches
between Flamborough Head in the North and
Spurn head in the South.
• On average 2m of coastline are lost each year –
the fastest in Europe.
• Since Roman times it has eroded by 4km and 29
villages have been lost.
• Other villages are disappearing now.
• In 1967 a storm caused the loss of 10m in one
night and 12 bungalows near Bridlington were so
near the sea that they had to be destroyed.
Factors that affect the rate of coastal
erosion.
• The shape of the coastline
• Width of beach
• Length and direction of the fetch
• Where the wave breaks
• Height or steepness of wave
• Wave energy
• Rock resistance
• Structure
• Human activity
 Geology (rock type)

The boulder clay has very little The two main types of
resistance to erosion, rock on the Holderness
especially when wet, making it coast are Boulder clay and
very susceptible to erosion chalk
• Most of the coastline is boulder clay,
which is also known as glacial till.
• It is a mixture of fine clays, fine sands
and boulders deposited by glaciers
after the last ice age.
• It has very little resistance to erosion,
especially when wet.
• It produces shallow sloping cliffs,
between 5 and 20m high.
• These cliffs are rapidly eroding, on
average 2m a year.
 Waves
• Waves are caused by the transfer of
energy from wind to the sea water .
• Height and power of wave depends on
the strength of the wind, the amount of
time it has been blowing and the fetch.
• As waves reach shore – water depth
decreases – wave energy concentrated
in a narrowing zone – making the wave
larger until it is thrown on the beach –
releasing the wave energy.
 Waves

 With waves the greater the wind the

greater the frictional drag and
therefore the size of wave
 Those that travel short distances and
are the result of local waves are seen
as sea waves
 Those that are formed from distant
storms and travel large distances are
known as swell.
 Fetch

Holderness is exposed to winds and

waves from the north-east, which have
a fetch of about 500-800km. This is not
far, but the coast at Holderness is
attacked by other factors, affecting
the ferocity of the waves.
 Factors Affecting the Fetch
• Currents – or swell – which circulate around the UK from the Atlantic
and into the North sea. The Atlantic fetch is 5000km or more, and
its currents add energy to waves in the North sea. Therefore, there
are often powerful destructive waves along this coastline.
• Low pressure weather systems passing over the North sea are often
intense, and locally produce very strong winds and waves.
• Small, almost enclosed seas, like the North sea, often generate huge
waves during storms. Waves move within the sea but cannot disperse
their energy – rather like water slopping up against the side of a
washbasin
• The sea floor is deep along the Holderness coast. Therefore, the
waves reach the cliffs without first being weakened by friction with
shallow beaches.
• SO WAVES CAN BE HUGE ON THE NORTH SEA COAST!!
Waves at Holderness tend to be
destructive
 Impacts
• Homeowners lose their homes
to the sea. House values fall,
and insurance is impossible to
get.
• Rapid cliff collapses are
dangerous for people on the
cliff top, and on the beach.
• Roads and other
infrastructure are destroyed.
• Erosion makes the area
unattractive.
 Impacts
• Farmers are losing land as it is
being eroded into the sea
(80000m2 of farmland is lost
each year, this has a huge effect
on farmers livelihoods).
• Tha Gas terminal in Easington,
which supplies 25% of Britain’s
gas, is at risk.
• Wildlife behind Spurn Point is
losing diversity as the
environment cannot support many
species due to the lack of
sediment.