Coastal Erosion and Instability Phenomena on the Coast of Krk Island (NE Adriatic Sea)

This paper presents the influence of the marine erosion on slope stability in the south eastern coastal area of the Krk Island (north-eastern part of the Adriatic Sea). The bedrock (Paleogene marls and flysch) is occasionally covered with talus breccia from Quaternary period. The coast is strongly exposed to wave attack and thereby to marine erosion. Comparison of few orthophoto map generations shows significant coastal retreat during the fifty-year period. This phenomenon has been a fundamental trigger off different instability phenomena. The type of instabilities is a consequence of local geological fabric and resistivity of rock mass to marine erosion. In the investigated area, rock falls and slumps prevail in cliffs formed in talus breccias. Extremely high tides from 2008 and 2012 have caused significant coastal erosion. This is obviously an indicator of the possible higher hazard degree caused by the sea-level rise.