Numerical Approach of the Littoral Instability of Chalk Cliffs: Case of Grandes Dalles (The Large Flagstones)

Abstract

The various situations representing coastal cliffs of Haute Normandy are tested on numerical models. The parameters taken into account are: the lithology of chalks and the presence or absence of fractures. It is a question of specifying the mechanical characteristics of chalk and the inside of the fractures. The chalk cliff of 80m height, with a vertical cliff face, is modeled in distinct elements in UDEC code. We consider initially the cliff with two layers, in dry and then in saturated state. Then, the cliff is taken with two layers; the chalk of Seaford constitutes the upper layer and the chalk of Lewes constitutes the lower layer, by introducing a fracture with a strong slope passing in the foot of the cliff and another time a fracture parallel with the cliff face.