1) Lyme Regis, located on the Jurassic Coast in England, experiences periodic cliff collapses due to both physical and human factors. Powerful waves and storms erode the cliff base while rising sea levels exacerbate this issue. The local geology, consisting of unstable upper layers, also contributes to landslides. 2) The 2008 cliff collapse at Lyme Regis measured 400 meters wide and destroyed beach chalets and infrastructure. Cliff collapses impact residents by threatening homes and businesses, while altering the local landscape and environment. 3) While destructive, erosion also exposes new fossils that help scientists study the area's geological history. Ongoing landslides are part of maintaining the natural beauty along

1. Case Study:
Causes and impacts of cliff collapse
at Lyme Regis

2. Location – on the South Coast of
England
LO: Case Study: Causes and impacts of cliff collapse at Lyme Regis

4. This is the town of
Lyme Regis on the
Jurassic Coast

5. • The Jurassic Coast is a natural World Heritage
Site and is internationally important for its
rocks, fossils and coastal landforms.
• Erosion is a very important process for
maintaining the natural beauty of the coastline
and ensuring that fossils and fresh geological
exposures help scientists study the coastline.
Background Information
LO: Case Study: Causes and impacts of cliff collapse at Lyme Regis

6. Lyme Regis is home to over 3600 people
and a popular tourist destination

7. East Cliff proposed Coastal Defence works
May 08 Landslide, 400m wide
Black Ven Landslide
Is Lyme Regis
slipping into the
Sea?

8. The Jurassic Coast is a
dynamic coast
May 7th 2008
About 400m of the
coast fell into the
sea in a dramatic
landslide!
400m

9. The unprotected sea cliff retreats
at rates of around 0.2-0.3m/year

10. A. Causes of Cliff Collapse at Lyme
Regis
• They fall into a number of categories:
1. Physical factors:
a) Sea
b) Geology
c) Weather
2. Human factors
LO: Case Study: Causes and impacts of cliff collapse at Lyme Regis

11. 1. Sea • More severe and
frequent winter storms
•Waves from the south
west are powerful due to
the large fetch, travelling
from over 7000 miles.
•Sea levels are rising
•What does all this mean?
•Waves attack the base of
the cliffs and cause
erosion speeding up the
rate of land slides in the
area
LO: Case Study: Causes and impacts of cliff collapse at Lyme Regis

12. 2. Geology
• The town is built on a layer of strong limestone
which is very solid. On top of that layer there are
slippery muds, clays and sands
• What does this mean?
• The clays, muds and sand slide over the limestone
layer to form the landslides.
LO: Case Study: Causes and impacts of cliff collapse at Lyme Regis

13. 3. Weather
Why does more rain mean more landslides?
The rain lubricates the movement of slippery clays, sands and
muds and old underground streams are re-activated.
LO: Case Study: Causes and impacts of cliff collapse at Lyme Regis

14. 4. Human Influence
How can humans make the situation worse?
• Buildings add weight to unstable cliffs – in fact
much of the town has been built on pre-
existing landslides!
• Impermeable surfaces e.g. car parks and roads
interfere with the drainage of the cliffs

15. • Annotate your diagram to explain the physical
and human causes of landslides at Lyme Regis

16. B. Impact of cliff collapse in Lyme Regis
People’s lives Environment
Beach chalets
and 2 articles on
showbie

17. It’s not all bad!
• Erosion is a very important process for
maintaining the natural beauty of the
coastline and ensuring fossils and fresh
geological exposures to help scientists
study the coastline!!
LO: Case Study: Causes and impacts of cliff collapse at Lyme Regis

18. Storyboard
Create a storyboard about cliff collapse in Lyme
Regis:
• Explain the causes of cliff collapse – physical and
human.
• Describe the impacts of cliff collapse - people and
environment
LO: Case Study: Causes and impacts of cliff collapse at Lyme Regis

20. Using a case study, describe the effects of
cliff collapse on people’s lives and the
environment.
LO: Case Study: Causes and impacts of cliff collapse at Lyme Regis