Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
Great Yarmouth (
d6
) and Lowestoft (
d7
) have grown where important rivers flow
into the sea. In each case, former river valleys have been plugged by coastal sediment
over the last 6,000 years. Further north, at Sea Palling (
d8
), a successful attempt to
locally combat the erosive action of the sea involved the construction of nine offshore
sea-defence islands, spaced along 3 km of coast. These islands have helped to trap sed-
iment that would otherwise have been washed along the shore by waves, resulting in a
build-up of the beach in this area over the last 20 years.
In Lowestoft (Fig. 312), the muddy water of Oulton Broad (in the foreground) and
the blue water of Lake Lothing (nearer the sea) make up an eastward-extending water-
way around which the town has grown. Lake Lothing, surrounded by large buildings,
leads to the sea and the harbour and quay of Lowestoft - the easternmost point of main-
land England. To the northwest, Oulton Broad is linked to the River Waveney system,
which drains a large lowland area further inland. It seems clear that the River Waveney
originally entered the sea down this waterway. However, at times when this route was
blocked by coastal sand and gravel, the main flow of the Waveney would drain to the
sea near Great Yarmouth, some 20 km to the north.
FIG
311.
Happisburgh coastline (Fig. 294,
d3
) phot ographed in 2004. The red line marks
the position of the cliff in 1994. (Copyright Mike Page/www.mike-page.co.uk)
