Why do coastlines and cliffs vary so much in appearance?

The new ELI today is 'Coastal erosion; what controls the form of a coastline and the steepness of its cliffs?'

This activity examines how cliff structure and other factors impact cliff retreat and coastal landforms. It lists the main factors involved in coastal erosion and relates photographs of real coastlines to idealised situations. Pupils realise that there may be several explanations for any one cliff form.

There are many related activities in our sedimentary processes category.