Marine erosion and slope movements: SE coast of the Krk island

Abstract

This paper presents the interaction of the marine erosion and slope movements on the south eastern coastal area of the Krk Island, Croatia. Larger parts of the coastal bedrock are carbonate rocks, and smaller parts are marls and flysch. The bedrock is occasionally covered with Quaternary sediments, which are characterized in terms of engineering soil properties. Complex geological fabric of the coastal area around Stara Baška settlement, in the south western part of the Krk Island, caused different movements on the coast. Due to the different grade of fissuring and karstification, as well as different weathering grade, carbonate and siliciclastic rock mass have wide range of resistance to the sea effects including wave attack. Exposure to the wave attack generated due to winds from the south directions contributes to the decreased resistivity. Additionally, occasional torrent flows and intensive erosion cause sporadic higher slope instability. The, effect of the previously registered extremely high tides, as well as the possible hazard increase due to the estimated sea level rise, is also analysed in the paper.