Lake Erie Coastal
Erosion in Action

The images below illustrate Lake Erie coastal erosion processes and their often devastating results. All photographs were taken along the Lake Erie waterfront in Ohio (counties are noted in parentheses).

The well-publicized bluff failure in this image occurred overnight, taking a parked car with it. Groundwater (seeping from the bluff at mid- and upper left) contributed to the collapse. (Lake County)

An example of a low bank severely undercut by waves. The stones in front of the bank have not been placed or maintained properly and do little to reduce wave energy. (Ottawa County)

A typical bluff of shale bedrock. The image reveals several signs of an erosion problem: construction equipment in the yard, tilted trees and exposed roots, the slabs in the water at mid-right, a mound of freshly-dumped rubble at left, and the general undercut nature of the rock at water level. (Lorain County)

A typical bluff of shale bedrock. Natural fractures can widen by freeze-thaw action. Combined with undercutting, this leads to blocks of rock falling. (Lorain County)

Close-up of a bluff containing easily eroded sandy material. (Lake County)

High bluffs of glacial till. Note how wave action has cut away the natural base, or toe, of this bluff, leaving it overly steepened and prone to failure by slumping.(Lake County)

A bluff of glacial till weathered into fractured blocks. The blocks eventually will fall, resulting in rapid retreat of the shoreline. (Lake County)

A bluff of highly fractured glacial till. The fractures make the till more prone to erosion. (Lake County)

A bluff of blocky glacial till. Note how wave action has cut into the base of the bluff. Eventually, the till will fall in large blocks. (Lake County)

A bluff of glacial till. Wave action has cut into the base of the bluff. (Cuyahoga County)

Long, slumping block of soil. Note the tilting tree in the right foreground. (Lake County)

Sometimes there is little a homeowner can do except watch as the top of the bluff comes closer and closer to a home. (Lake County)

Houses threatened by slumping. These homes have been removed and the area is now a grassy slope. (Lake County)

This home was damaged when the glacial till beneath it slumped. (Lake County)

Some properties surrender to the power of the lake. (Ashtabula County)

Not all damage is caused by erosion. Lakefront homes also can be damaged by storm-driven waves and wind, as shown in this image. (Lake County)

Ice, wind, waves, and a low shoreline contributed to the conditions in this image. (Ottawa County)

Fortunately, the lake can be beautiful as well.