Isle of wight ventnor - Essay Example

In addition, the seabed forms a ridge rising to 15 meters of the surface that causes the sea to rush in between the ridge created and the Island. Due to this, there exists a narrow deep channel called the St Catherine’s Deep. The problem Study of the geotechnical situation in Ventnor indicates that the town has experienced landslides subject to ground movements. These landslides cause damage to property and interrupt the delivery of services mostly done through pipelines. The under-cliff of the Isle of Wight is 12 kilometers long.

In 1988, the Department of Environment in Ventnor commissioned a study to come with ideas for dealing with the land instability problem. To understand the problems of stabilizing the town of Ventnor properly, it is important to consider; 1. The nature of the landslips 2. Study the strategies used to reduce negative impacts in the future and their applicability 3. Investigate the previous cases of instability It is very crucial to note that only some areas in the town of Ventnor experience landslips.

In fact, various developed areas do not get affected even by main events. Consider the Bonchurch Old church which is over 1050 years old and still exists. Researchers tend to misinterpret the extent of the landslides since they include buildings and property that crumble due to poor foundations. Consequently, the problem appears great and non-manageable. (Griffiths, 2001). Location map The location of the town of Ventnor creates a problem in the stabilization of the area. The town faces a sea with various activities among them sea bed movements.

Its open side facing the sea presents the problem of vulnerability due to lack of protection from sea tides and strong winds. Instability due to ground movements Ground movement continues to be a problem in the stabilizing of the town of Ventnor. The worst period occurred in 1961 where cliff falls and collapsed settlements were rampant following heavy autumn rainfall. Although the records date as far back as 1781, it is not easy to get a clear picture of the problem of ground movements. 91% of the town has had minimal movement annually and short term major movements are attributed to long run movements.

In the last 100 years, ground movement has become a challenge to the local community. This problem is independent of financial influence since it is a natural occurrence. The continued development of the area based on urbanization increases human traffic; thus, adds to the initial ground movement activity. Sir William 1997 argues that ground movements result from slope instability, ground compression and subsidence. Initially, the under cliff was a result of various phases of landslides due to climate and sea level influences.

Landslides in Ventnor appear in the cretaceous rocks which consist of Gault clay overlain by big sandstones and chalk. The thin clay layers and the Gault clay determine the stability of the area. It is evident that the geotechnical design of the town of Ventnor is itself a problem to the stability of the area. Landslides The images above show the occurrence of landslides which create a challenge in stabilizing the town. Mostly, landslides in Ventnor occur due to planes of weakness that come beneath impermeable clay surfaces.

Water seeps through layers of sand leading to instability due to erosion. This image above represents the anatomy of the landslides. Landslides occur at the under-cliff of Ventnor located to the south of