Jurassic Coast Landslide

On 6th May 2008, 95m high cliffs along a 400m wide section of World Heritage Coast between Lyme Regis and Charmouth collapsed. This stretch of coast is no stranger to landsliding and comprises a similar range of weak shales and marls as much of the Isle of Wight, also subject to frequent landslide activity. Long term inundation from prolonged summer and winter rainfall produces high pore water pressures that contribute to instability and such events can be expected to become more frequent with more the extreme weather associated with climate change. Video footage of the slide can be seen at the BBC web site http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7388564.stm and a Google Earth image of the coast affected is available at http://tinyurl.com/69hn2b.