'Soft' rock sea cliffs

On 'soft' rock cliffs such as Pleistocene glacial clays and sands slippage may be frequent. This is especially true for areas where marine erosion removes the 'protective' beach built up through weathering and slope transport processes. In such situations the cliffs may have little or no vegetation and animal life is limited to ephemeral species requiring open habitats (including a notable invertebrate fauna). Examples include the mud-slides of the rapidly eroding (State 1) sea cliffs of East Anglian coast where rates of cliff recession can reach 5 m/year.

Some cliffs may be protected by a beach and/or have a greater physical coherence. Here the slopes exhibit less frequent but sometimes massive movement. During periods of stability the soils become stabilised with grassland, scrub or even mature woodland. The massive undercliffs along the Axmouth to Lyme-Regis coast of Devon/Dorset are especially important examples in the UK.

Comment: Between these extremes an infinitely varied series of habitats occur which can be amongst the most natural and least influenced by human use of any coastal area.