North Norfolk Case Study - Distinctive Landscapes - UK Coastal Landscape

distinctive landscapes case study.

• name a UK coastal landscape.

• give background information about this coastal landscape.

North Northfolk Coast is located in East Anglia, and has a mostly low-lying landscape with broad beaches, salt marshes, cliffs and sand dunes.

It borders the North Sea for about 55 miles (89 km) on the north and northeast.

what specific landforms are found along the North Norfolk Coast?

• headlands (Hunstanton cliffs) and bays (South Hunstanton Beach/Bay)

• spit (Blaceney Point) and salt marsh (Stiffkey Marsh)

how are Hunstanton cliffs and the South Hunstanton Beach created by specific geomorphic processes at the North Norfolk Coast?

• The Hunstanton cliffs and the South Hunstanton Beach were formed when the North Sea attacked the North Norfolk Coastline where therer were alternating horizontal bands of hard and soft rock.

• As hydraulic action and abrasion eroded the North Norfolk coastline, the bands of soft rock, such as sand and clay, eroded quicker because they are less resistant to erosion. The bands of more resistant rock, such as chalk, erode much more slowly.

• This leaves a section of the cliff sticking out, called a headland. These headlands are known as the Hunstanton cliffs. Where the soft rock had eroded away, a bay called the South Hunstanton Beach was formed.

• This beach becomes sheltered by the cliffs that extend out into the sea, and so become less eroded.

how is Blakeney Point and Stiffkey Marsh created by specific geomorphic processes at the North Norfolk Coast?

• Sediment was carried along the North Norfolk Coastline in a zigzag movement by longshore drift, in the westerly direction due to the prevailing wind from the northeast.

• As the North Norfolk Coast changed direction, the waves lost their energy and deposition occurred as longshore drift continues and deposits material in the sea after the Norfolk coastline changed direction.

• Overtime, the level of sediment deposited built up to create a long thin ridge above sea-level, forming a spit called Blakeney Point that extends along the north Norfolk coastline.

• Blakeney Point shelters the Stiffkey Salt Marsh, which was created behind the spit in a low-energy zone.

how does the geology of the North Norfolk Coast influence the geomorphic processes and the landforms in the river?

• During the last ice age approximately 12,000 years ago, glaciers deposited sands and clays which make up the cliffs that line the present-day North Norfolk Coast.

• Since the retreat of the ice, the North Sea has constantly been wearing away the soft deposits along the coast.

• The coast is exposed to the North Sea’s storms, as these stormy conditions, such as those of 1953 and 1978, increase the erosive power of the sea, causing greater damage to the North Norfolk Coast.

• In addition, when winds come from the north east, waves are at their most powerful. This results in high tides and increased erosion by hydraulic action, due to the greater power of the waves, which smash against the cliffs.

• Moreover, as the cliffs’ material is soft and crumbly, they absorb rainwater which then percolates through the cliffs. This leaves the cliffs on the North Norfolk Coast prone to rotational slumping.

  • The fallen material also provides sediment for the beach.

how does the climate of the North Norfolk Coast influence the geomorphic processes and the landforms in the river?

(temperature aspects)

• North Norfolk is relatively dry and warm, so the clay/chalk landscape is susceptible to drying out and cracking.

  • This means that the clay/chalk cliffs at North Northfolk Coast are at risk of slumping when there are prolonged periods of rainfall.

• Extreme cold and cold spells in the winter impact the North Norfolk Coast by freeze-thaw weathering at the top of cliffs, as water within cracks in rock freeze and expand, adding pressure and widens cracks.

  • This eventually which can weaken the rock along the North Norfolk coastline and cause large masses of material to collapse.

how does the climate of the North Norfolk Coast influence the geomorphic processes and the landforms in the river?

(wind aspects)

• The North Norfolk Coast is exposed to the North Sea’s storms, which bring strong winds the onto the coast.

• When winds come from the north east, waves are at their most powerful, resulting in high tides and increased erosive power.

• This speeds up the erosion of the North Norfolk Coast by hydraulic action, due to the great power of the waves, which smash against cliffs on the the coastline.

how has human activity through coastal management impacted the North Norfolk’s landscape/its geomorphic processes?

(groynes)

• In Wells-next-the-sea and Hunstanton, groynes have been constructed along the beach to protect the beach huts. These groynes reduce the movement of sediment by longshore drift, which in turn reduces erosion by the waves such as hydraulic action, and also reduces flooding.

• The groynes have also allowed the beach to build up, which helps to keep it in place. However, this is likely to result in erosion further downstream of the North Norfolk Coast, causing sediment to be broken off and carried away by the sea.

how has human activity through coastal management impacted the North Norfolk’s landscape/its geomorphic processes?

(rock armour)

• In Brancaster, rock armour has been placed along the bases of cliffs. These large, resistant boulders will absorb wave energy, which decreases the rate of erosion at these parts of the North Norfolk Coast.

• Also, the landscape becomes less likely to be flooded by the waves, as they are deflected back to sea by the boulders.