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Structural and lithological controls on coastline profiles in Fife, Eastern Britain
Author(s) -
Ringrose Philip S.
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
terra nova
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.353
H-Index - 89
eISSN - 1365-3121
pISSN - 0954-4879
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-3121.1994.tb00492.x
Subject(s) - geology , fractal , tortuosity , scale (ratio) , fractal dimension , similarity (geometry) , geomorphology , cartography , geography , geotechnical engineering , mathematical analysis , mathematics , artificial intelligence , porosity , computer science , image (mathematics)
The coastline of southern Fife on the east coast of the British Isles is presented here as an illustration of geological influences on spatial variability at different lengthscales. The coastline profile of Britain is widely referred to as an example of fractal geometry, as presented in Mandelbrot's (1967) original paper on statistical self‐similarity. I show here that at different lengthscales, different geological processes dominate the character of the coastline profile, and that estimates of the fractal dimension are strongly dependant on the scale and choice of sample. Significant periodic components in the tortuosity of the coastline are evident, and can be related to the causative, scale‐specific, geological processes.