Many stretches of the coastline of East Anglia, England, are prone to high rates of erosion, as illustrated by this collapsed section of the cliffs at Hunstanton, Norfolk.

Coastal erosion (or shoreline erosion) is the loss of subaerial landmass into a sea or lake due to natural processes such as waves, winds and tides, or even due to human interference. Large storm-generated waves typically cause coastal erosion, which may take the form of long-term losses of sediment and rocks, or merely in the temporary redistribution of coastal sediments. Coastal erosion may result in coastal accretion at other nearby locations. These processes are also known as coastal morphology or coastal morphodynamics. Norfolk and Suffolk, the core area of East Anglia. ... Hunstanton is a large seaside town in Norfolk, England, facing The Wash. ... Norfolk (pronounced IPA: ) is a low-lying county in East Anglia in the east of southern England. ... The term subaerial, mainly used in geology, describes events or structures located at the Earths surface, under the air. This is to be contrasted with submarine events or structures, those located under the sea. ...

On rocky coasts, coastal erosion can result in dramatic rock formations in areas where the coastline contains stones with different resistances to erosion. The softer areas become eroded much faster than the harder ones, which can result in interesting landforms such as tunnels, bridges, columns, and pillars.

Pacifica, California coast before major storms of 1997. The houses shown did not survive the storm season.

On sedimentary coasts, coastal erosion typically poses more of a danger to human settlements than it does to nature itself. Dunwich, the capital of the English medieval wool trade, disappeared over the space of a few centuries due to redistribution of sediment by waves. Human interference can also increase coastal erosion: Hallsands in Devon, England, was a coastal village that was washed away overnight, an event possibly exacerbated by dredging of shingle in the bay in front of it. Dunwich (IPA: ) is a town in the county of Suffolk in England, the remnant of what was once a prosperous seaport and centre of the wool trade during the early middle ages, with a natural harbour formed by the mouths of the River Blyth and the River Dunwich. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2005 est. ... Long and short hair wool at the South Central Family Farm Research Center in Boonesville, Arizona Wool is the fibre derived from the fur of animals of the Caprinae family, principally sheep, but the hair of certain species of other mammals such as goats, alpacas and rabbits may also be... Hallsands is a deserted village in South Devon, England, in a precarious position between cliffs and the sea, between Beesands to the north and Start Point to the south. ... Devon is a large county in South West England, bordered by Cornwall to the west, Dorset and Somerset to the east. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2005 est. ... Dredging is the process by which either new waterways are created or existing waterways are deepened. ... Look up shingle in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

The California coast, which has soft cliffs of sedimentary rock and is heavily populated, regularly has incidents of housing damage as cliffs erode. Damage in Pacifica is shown at right. Devil's Slide, Santa Barbara and Malibu are regularly affected. Pacifica may refer to: Pacifica (song), a famous instrumental surf rock song. ... Devils Slide is a notorious stretch of Californias Highway 1, along San Mateo Countys coastline between Pacifica and Half Moon Bay. ... For a quick link, please see the city of Santa Barbara, California. ... The Malibu pier near the famous Surfrider Beach Dawn in the Santa Monica Mountains The Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) in central Malibu The Paradise Cove pier in Malibu Malibu is a city located in western Los Angeles County, California, United States. ...

See also

• Coastal and oceanic landforms
• Natural arch
• Blowhole
• Bioerosion
• Coastal defense
• Beach nourishment

A landform comprises a geomorphological unit. ... Rainbow Bridge was formed by a meandering watercourse A natural arch or natural bridge is a formation (or landform) where a rock arch forms, with a natural passageway through underneath. ... The blowhole of Monks Cave, a sea cave near Aberystwyth In geology, a blowhole is a cavity formed in the ground at the inland end of a sea cave. ... Bioerosion describes the erosion of hard ocean substrates by living organisms by a number of mechanisms. ... Coastal defenses are objects and engineering techniques used to defend coasts against erosion and flooding. ... Before and after photos of beach restoration efforts, Florida coastline, USA. Beach nourishment, a process in which sand or sediments lost by longshore drifts or erosion are replaced on a certain area of a beach. ...

External links

• Coastal Erosion Information from the Coastal Ocean Institute, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution