Events & Courses

Speaker: Pete Hobbs, Engineering Geologist at BGS

Cliffs feature prominently in the British landscape and psyche, the latter possibly as a result of their perceived role in confronting would-be invaders. The length of the British coastline is often quoted at around 17,000 km, depending on how it is measured.

A significant proportion, at least a quarter, of the British coastline is cliffs and exposed to active erosion by sea and the elements. We will take a look at some of the processes involved in cliff instability, with particular reference to the sometimes underestimated influence of landslides and how we might assess a cliff’s stability.

Illustrations will be given of cliff failures and studies by BGS and others around the coast of England and Wales, including the latest methods for surveying and modelling cliff recession and instability viewed in both a 3D and a 4D context. Examples from BGS’s Landslide Response Team archive will also be shown, with emphasis placed on the human implications of cliff instability 

Time:

Refreshments available in Reception at 18:30, talk starts at 19:00

Everyone welcome

Photo: Unstable cliffs at Aldborough, Holderness, East Yorkshire coast