What type of coastline is Birling Gap?
The beach at Birling Gap is set at the base of the imposing, sheer chalk cliffs known as the Seven Sisters. Despite being set between the well known seaside resorts of Eastbourne and Brighton this is one of the longest stretches of undeveloped coastline on England’s south coast.
What is the geology of Birling Gap?
At Birling Gap the geology is slightly different, and this can best be seen by looking back at the cliffs from the beach at low tide. It is a dry valley underlain with coombe rock. This valley was created during the last Ice Age (which lasted until about 12 000 years ago).
What type of rock is the Seven Sisters?
Chalk
The Chalk at Seven Sisters belongs to the Upper Chalk, and was deposited during the Coniacian and Santonian stages of the Late Cretaceous epoch between 87-84 million years ago (mya).
How were the Seven Sisters cliffs formed?
Sculpted by melt-water and heavy rain during recent ice ages, and the erosive power of the sea more recently, the present-day cliffs mark the end of a series of natural inland gulleys. Above: View from the foreshore below Short Brow towards Birling Gap in the distance.
How are chalk cliffs formed?
They’re formed from the skeletal remains of minute planktonic green algae that lived floating in the upper levels of the ocean. When the algae died, their remains sank to the bottom of the ocean and combined with the remains of other creatures to form the chalk that shapes the cliffs today.
How fast are the Seven Sisters eroding?
60cm per year
The chalk cliffs of the Seven Sisters are crumbling at a rate of 60cm per year on average – at Birling Gap this rate of erosion is much quicker. This doesn’t mean that there will be an actual 60cm of cliff lost each year, as coastal erosion is a ongoing process and consists of active and passive periods of erosion.
What type of erosion is at Birling Gap?
Erosion of the chalk coastal cliffs at Birling Gap, Sussex, UK. Gap forms part of the Seven Sister cliffs, East Sussex, UK. Geotechnically the area is characterized by th e presence of a Devensian paleovalley developed in a shallow syncline within the Seaford Chalk Formation. It is a dynamic coast line which continual erosion.
What is the significance of the Birling Gap?
Birling Gap. An idyllic coastal hamlet nestled between the Seven Sisters and Beachy Head. The chalk cliffs are kept white due to the constant effect of erosion. It is happening all the time, from tiny flakes to large falls, this is how the chalk cliffs are kept clean and white.
How long did it take to erode the Birling Gap cliff?
The early winter of 2014 saw some five metres of cliff erode in front of the café at Birling Gap. This means that seven years’ worth of erosion effectively happened in just two months. The National Trust is taking a long-term view and planning for the future by working with natural coastal change where possible.
How does ArcGIS work on Birling Gap?
A detailed survey has been undertaken along the coast of Birling Gap from 1950 to 2000. Using these data, the spatial information is translated into geospatial elements of an ArcGIS platform. The geo-referencing process defines the position of the cliff in a specific period.