Holderness case study gcse geography

The Holderness Coast is located on the east coast of England. It extends 61km from Flamborough in the north to Spurn Point in the south. The Holderness Coastline is one of Europe’s fastest eroding at an average annual rate of around 2 metres per year. This is around 2 million tonnes of material every year.

The first is the result of the strong prevailing winds creating longshore drift that moves material south along the coastline. The second is that the cliffs are made of soft boulder clay which erodes rapidly when saturated. The Holderness Coast is a great case study to use when examining coastal processes and the features associated with them.

The problem is caused by: strong prevailing winds creating longshore drift that moves material south along the coastline the cliffs which are made of a soft boulder clay, and will therefore erode quickly, especially when saturated. The village of Mappleton, perched on a cliff top on the Holderness coast, has approximately 50 properties.

A coastal management scheme costing £2 million was introduced involving two types of hard engineering - placing rock armour along the base of the cliff and building two rock groynes. Mappleton and the cliffs are no longer at great risk from erosion. The rock groynes have stopped beach material being moved south from Mappleton along the coast.