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HIGH TIDES IN MORECAMBE BAY. 



J. WILFRID JACKSON, 

 Ma)ichester. 



Whilst spending- a few days at Silverdale, Lancashire, at the 

 beginning- of October, I paid some attention to the tides and 

 their action upon the shore. 



The shore here is composed for the most part of a stretch 

 ■of salt-marsh about a quarter of a mile wide, backed up by 

 Carboniferous Limestone cliffs. 



At the foot of this marsh flows the river Kent, which, for 

 some time past, has been fairly consistent in keeping to this 

 channel, although it is not to be depended upon for long at 



Erosion of Salt-marsh. 



a stretch, a^, like other rivers running into the bay, it is con- 

 tinually changing its channel, sometimes skirting the Grange 

 shore, sometimes the Silverdale shore, and occasionally steering 

 a middle course. 



This changing is occasioned by the heavy seas shifting the 

 sand about and damming up the existing channel, when the 

 river has perforce to make a new one through the weaker 

 portions of the sandbanks. 



The salt-marsh is cut up by several dikes of freshwater, and 

 for some considerable time has been left uncovered by the tide. 

 This year's equinoctial tides, however, have been exceptionally 

 high and the whole area of the marsh was covered several 

 times, the sea washing the base of the limestone cliffs and quite 

 covering the older shingle-beach at their foot. 



1905 December i. 



