Action Plan: Maritime Cliffs & Slopes

Maritime cliffs and slopes comprise sloping faces on the coastline, from 15 degrees to vertical. They are formed at the interface between land and sea, where a break in slope is formed either by slippage or erosion.

Cliffs vary in profile depending on the nature of the rock forming them and the geomorphology of the surrounding land. Most cliffs are formed by erosion.

Cliffs are divided into ‘hard’ or ‘soft’ rock, dependent on geology. Hard rock cliffs tend to be formed of rock resistant to weathering and wave action such as limestone, whinstone or sandstone. Vegetation develops on their ledges or in crevices. Soft cliffs are typically made of clay, generally of glacial origin. These cliffs are more unstable and landslides are common. Their slopes are less steep, and these cliffs gradually become vegetated. The vegetation is a complex mosaic with whin grassland and coastal heath over much of the coast with natural grasslands and NVC maritime cliff communities. Where the vegetation occurs on the cliffs it is confined to steep slopes, crevices, flushes and on the break of slope it is confined to no more than a few meters from the top.

The cliff top zone extends landwards, at least to the limit of salt spray impact. On the seaward side, the plan extends to the limit of the splash zone (supralittoral) zone.