Erosion on the coast of Happisburgh

Happisburgh, on Nortfolk’s North Sea Coast is a coastal village with a population of about 1,400 people. This town suffered a deadly flood 1953 that took the lives of 76 people and keeps on constantly being affected by rapid coastal erosion. 

Happisburgh, on Nortfolk’s North Sea Coast is a coastal village with a population of about 1,400 people. This town suffered a deadly flood 1953 that took the lives of 76 people and keeps on constantly being affected by rapid coastal erosion. 

There are cliffs in this are 6-10 meters high (19.5ft -32.8ft). These cliffs aren’t just straight down, they’re kind of in a stair-case way. So there are cliffs on cliffs on cliffs, kind of. These layers are normally buried under the beach waters but when the tide goes down then they show. They consist of stratified brown sands and clays.

The government has built coastal defenses in this town to slow down the rate of retreat, they have also made "walls" with big rocks closer to the cliffs to try to prevent water damage.

Still though, at least one house a year has been lost for a few years now as well as agricultural land. Climate change and the rise of sea level is expected to increase erosion; this erosion is expected to be so severe that the processes to happen here are expected to take thousands of years in other places.

From the studies here they have discovered that in the winter erosions caused by ground water causes small landslides. In the summer the beach water line is higher and the waves are what cause the the erosion that cause land sliding.

On the bright side, they are keeping a close look at the site for study, for better understanding of erosion at other sites.

References:

http://www.bgs.ac.uk/landslides/happisburgh.html