Limestone recession

Abrasive coasts are mostly composed of clayey deposits, poorly-cemented rocks, or limestones. The cliff heights range from 15 to 35 m. The abrasion rate is controlled by the composition of the coastal rocks and the cliff heights. The recession of the cliffs is also caused by the development of landslide and caving processes, especially under the conditions of strong storms. The length of individual sliding blocks reaches 500 m at a width of up to 15 m. Deep surf niches are formed in the lower parts of the cliffs. 

Youngdahl, C. A. Doe, B. R. Sherwood, S. I. Roughening Recession and Chemical Alteration of Marble and Limestone Sample Surfaces After Atmospheric Exposure in the Northeastern United States. In this book. 

Table II. Rainfall quantity and pH, antecedent sulfur dioxide, net sulfate, surface recession for a limestone reference rock at Research Triangl June to October 1984 hydrogen ion loading, and e Park, North Carolina, ...

The situation differs for large rain amounts. For large rain amounts, excess sulfate values for limestone exceed excess sulfate values for small rain amounts. Large-excess sulfate values for a large-rain-amount for limestone are associated with twice the surface recession of a marble sample for the same event. Some of this surface loss may be the result of the removal of a calcium sulfate mineral. 

Table III. Incident rainfall, rain pH, hydrogen ion loading, and surface recession for limestone and marble at Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, June to October 1984...

For limestone, the weight losses were far in excess of expectations based on direct measurements of recession and on runoff chemistry. 

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