Analysis of Coastal Retreat and Slope Movements on Rocky Coastal Cliffs: A Distributed Natural Hazard in the Safi Region, Morocco

Abstract

The coastal area of Safi between Cap Beddouza and Jorf Lihoudi is dominated by different forms of marine cliffs forming the coastline, with rock formations ranging from Jurassic to Quaternary. The main coastal geological risk is the instabilities of these cliffs due to falls and collapses of blocks as well as landslides. The aim of this paper is to give detailed information on the rate of cliff summit recession for the last 66 years, obtained by applying the DSAS model, in parallel with the identification of unstable elements, including their different parameters such as size, abundance, activity in time and their effect on the recession of the cliff top, which are fundamental information for the evolution models of sea cliffs. These phenomena constitute a significant economical, social, and environmental risk.