# Chine > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Chine > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Chine.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chine > Source revision: 1334741647 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Steep-sided coastal gorge in central southern England Not to be confused with [China](/source/China). For other uses, see [Chine (disambiguation)](/source/Chine_(disambiguation)). Chine forming on soft cliffs at Compton, Isle of Wight Shanklin Chine, circa 1910. A **chine** ( [/ˈtʃaɪn/](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/English)) is a steep-sided coastal [gorge](/source/Gorge) where a river flows to the sea through, typically, soft [eroding](/source/Erosion) [cliffs](/source/Cliff) of [sandstone](/source/Sandstone) or [clays](/source/Clay). The word is used in central [Southern England](/source/Southern_England)—notably in [East Devon](/source/East_Devon), [Dorset](/source/Dorset), [Hampshire](/source/Hampshire) and the [Isle of Wight](/source/Isle_of_Wight)—to describe such topographical features. The term 'bunny' is sometimes used to describe a chine in Hampshire. The term chine is also used in some Vancouver suburbs in Canada to describe similar features. The word chine derives from the [Old English](/source/Old_English) *cinu*, meaning 'a gorge, a ravine'.[1] ## Formation and features Chines appear at the outlet of small river valleys when a particular combination of geology, stream volume, and coastal recession rate creates a [knickpoint](/source/Knickpoint), usually starting at a [waterfall](/source/Waterfall) at the cliff edge, that initiates rapid erosion and deepening of the stream bed into a [gully](/source/Gully) leading down to the sea.[2] All chines are in a state of constant change due to erosion. The [Blackgang Chine](/source/Blackgang_Chine) on the Isle of Wight, for example, has been destroyed by landslides and [coastal erosion](/source/Coastal_erosion) during the 20th century. As the walls of the chines and cliffs are so unstable and erode continually, particularly those of the south coast of the Isle of Wight, the strata are clearly visible. Chines are, therefore, very important for their fossil records, their archaeology and the unique flora and fauna, such as invertebrates and rare insects, for which they provide shelter.[3] ## On the UK mainland Section of a 1759 map of [Hampshire](/source/Hampshire) by Isaac Taylor, showing several chines between [Christchurch](/source/Christchurch%2C_Dorset) and [Poole](/source/Poole) (including Bourne Chine, the future location of [Bournemouth](/source/Bournemouth) town centre). In [Devon](/source/Devon), Sherbrooke Chine is west of [Budleigh Salterton](/source/Budleigh_Salterton),[4] and Seaton Chine is at the western end of the West Walk esplanade, [Seaton](/source/Seaton%2C_Devon). In Dorset, west of [Bournemouth](/source/Bournemouth) are found Flaghead Chine, [Branksome Chine](/source/Branksome_Chine), [Alum Chine](/source/Alum_Chine), Middle Chine and [Durley Chine](/source/Durley_Chine), and east towards [Boscombe](/source/Boscombe), Boscombe Chine and Honeycombe Chine. [Bournemouth Town Centre](/source/Bournemouth_Town_Centre) itself is built in the former [Bourne Chine](/source/River_Bourne%2C_Dorset) (the Pleasure Gardens being the original valley floor), although [urban development](/source/Urban_development) since the late 19th century has altered the topography somewhat. Becton Bunny and Chewton Bunny are other examples of chines near [Barton on Sea](/source/Barton_on_Sea), Hampshire ("Bunny" being the [New Forest](/source/New_Forest) equivalent to "Chine").[5][6] In [Ramsgate](/source/Ramsgate), Kent, there is Courtstairs Chine, leading from the cliff top to the undercliff promenade.[7] A rare example of the use of 'Chine' in a non-coastal setting is [Chineham](/source/Chineham), a [civil parish](/source/Civil_parish) near [Basingstoke](/source/Basingstoke). ## On the Isle of Wight [Shepherd's Chine](/source/Shepherd's_Chine), Isle of Wight [Whale Chine](/source/Whale_Chine), Isle of Wight There are twenty chines on the [Isle of Wight](/source/Isle_of_Wight), to which fascinating folklore is attached because of their history with local smuggling, fishing and shipwrecks. The popular tourist attraction of [Shanklin Chine](/source/Shanklin_Chine) is also famous for its involvement in the Second World War, when it was used to carry one of the [Operation Pluto](/source/Operation_Pluto) pipelines and as training area for the [40 Royal Marine Commando](/source/40_Commando) battalion before the 1942 [Dieppe Raid](/source/Dieppe_Raid).[8] Geologically, the chines in [Alum Bay](/source/Alum_Bay), in [Totland](/source/Totland) ([Widdick Chine](/source/Widdick_Chine)), and the three in [Colwell Bay](/source/Colwell_Bay) ([Colwell Chine](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Colwell_Chine&action=edit&redlink=1), [Brambles Chine](/source/Brambles_Chine) and [Linstone Chine](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Linstone_Chine&action=edit&redlink=1)) are in [Tertiary](/source/Tertiary_(period)) rocks. The remainder on the island's south coast are in [Cretaceous](/source/Cretaceous) rocks. An inventory of chines on the Isle of Wight follows, listing chines clockwise from Cowes:[3] ### South-east coast - [Small Hope Chine](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Small_Hope_Chine&action=edit&redlink=1)[9] - [Shanklin Chine](/source/Shanklin_Chine) - [Luccombe Chine](/source/Luccombe_Chine) ### South-west coast - [Blackgang Chine](/source/Blackgang_Chine) (now destroyed)[10] - [New Chine](/source/New_Chine) - [Walpen Chine](/source/Walpen_Chine) or [Old Walpen Chine](/source/Old_Walpen_Chine) - [Ladder Chine](/source/Ladder_Chine) - [Whale Chine](/source/Whale_Chine) - [Shepherd's Chine](/source/Shepherd's_Chine) - [Cowleaze Chine](/source/Cowleaze_Chine) - [Barnes Chine](/source/Barnes_Chine) - [Grange/Marsh Chine](/source/Grange%2FMarsh_Chine) - [Chilton Chine](/source/Chilton_Chine) - [Brook Chine](/source/Brook_Chine) - [Churchill Chine](/source/Churchill_Chine) - [Shippards Chine](/source/Shippards_Chine) - [Compton Chine](/source/Compton_Chine) ### North-west coast - [Alum Bay Chine](/source/Alum_Bay#Geology) - [Widdick Chine](/source/Widdick_Chine) - [Colwell Chine](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Colwell_Chine&action=edit&redlink=1) - [Brambles Chine](/source/Brambles_Chine) - [Linstone Chine](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Linstone_Chine&action=edit&redlink=1) ## In Canada The Vancouver suburb of [Coquitlam](/source/Coquitlam) has a neighbourhood called *Harbour Chines* that was built in the 1950s, along with the adjoining neighbourhood of *Chineside* to the east. Both are situated upon the tops of cliffs that overlook a large number of streams flowing down to the adjoining suburb of [Port Moody](/source/Port_Moody)'s *Chines Park*, from where they flow to [Burrard Inlet](/source/Burrard_Inlet), onwards out to the [Georgia Strait](/source/Georgia_Strait) of the Salish Sea, and the Pacific Ocean.[11] ## See also - [Ravine](/source/Ravine) - [Gulch](/source/Gulch) - [Gully](/source/Gully) ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Mills, A.D (1996). *The Place-Names of The Isle of Wight*. [Shaun Tyas](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Shaun_Tyas&action=edit&redlink=1). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Chines on the Isle of Wight: Channel Adjustment and Basin Morphology in Relation to Cliff Retreat, Katharine E. Flint, *The Geographical Journal*, Vol. 148, No. 2 (Jul. 1982), pp. 225-236 [JSTOR](/source/JSTOR_(identifier)) [633774](https://www.jstor.org/stable/633774) 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-nortonetal_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-nortonetal_3-1) Modelling flow, erosion and long-term evolution of incising channels: managing hydrology and geomorphology for ecology, Norton, Leyland & Darby, *Sediment Dynamics and the Hydromorphology of Fluvial Systems*, International Association of Hydrological Sciences, 2006, [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [1-901502-68-6](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/1-901502-68-6) [Google Books, retrieved 3 August 2008](https://books.google.com/books?id=FV8AkHo1QI4C&dq=chines+evolution+%22Isle+of+Wight%22&pg=PA206) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** *Complete England*, Reginald JW Hammond, Ward Lock, 1974 [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0706311922](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0706311922) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** West, Ian. 2008. [Barton and Highcliffe - Coast Erosion and Sea Defences](http://www.soton.ac.uk/~imw/barteros.htm): Geology of the Wessex Coast of southern England. Internet site: Version: 25 July 2008. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** [Chewton Bunny](http://www.envf.port.ac.uk/hantsgaz/hantsgaz/S0001413.HTM) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20090111152449/http://www.envf.port.ac.uk/hantsgaz/hantsgaz/S0001413.HTM) 11 January 2009 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine), Old Hampshire Gazetteer 1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["Courtstairs Chine, Ramsgate"](https://www.parksandgardens.org/places/courtstairs-chine-ramsgate-1). *Parks & Gardens*. Retrieved 27 August 2021. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** *Isle of Wight, Gem of the Solent*, June Elford, Coach House Publications, 2004, [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [1-899392-33-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/1-899392-33-5) [Google Books](https://books.google.com/books?id=I1DVSpsMqPEC&dq=Shanklin+PLUTO+chine+dieppe&pg=PA60), retrieved 5 July 2008 1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["Small Hope Chine & Shanklin Chine"](https://islandrivers.org.uk/chines/explore-the-chines/shanklin/). *islandrivers.org.uk*. Retrieved 8 January 2026. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** ["Blackgang Chine"](https://islandrivers.org.uk/chines/explore-the-chines/blackgang/). *islandrivers.org.uk*. Retrieved 13 January 2026. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** Map of Harbour Chines and Chineside neighbourhoods, Coquitlam, BC, Canada [\[1\]](https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=15/49.2682/-122.8540) v t e Rivers, streams and springs Rivers (lists) Alluvial river Braided river Blackwater river Channel Channel pattern Channel types Confluence Distributary Drainage basin Mountain river Subterranean river River bifurcation River ecosystem River source Tributary Streams Arroyo Beck Bourne Burn Chalk stream Coulee Current Stream bed Stream channel Streamflow Stream gradient Stream pool Perennial stream Winterbourne Springs (list) Estavelle/Inversac Geyser Holy well Hot spring list list in the US Karst spring list Mineral spring Ponor Rhythmic spring Spring horizon Sedimentary processes and erosion Abrasion Anabranch Aggradation Armor Bed load Bed material load Granular flow Debris flow Deposition Dissolved load Downcutting Erosion Headward erosion Knickpoint Palaeochannel Progradation Retrogradation Saltation Secondary flow Sediment transport Suspended load Wash load Water gap Fluvial landforms Ait Alluvial fan Antecedent drainage stream Avulsion Bank Bar Bayou Billabong Canyon Chine Cut bank Estuary Floating island Fluvial terrace Gill Gulch Gully Glen Meander scar Mouth bar Oxbow lake Riffle-pool sequence Point bar Ravine Rill River island Rock-cut basin Sedimentary basin Sedimentary structures Strath Thalweg River valley Wadi Fluvial flow Helicoidal flow International scale of river difficulty Log jam Meander Plunge pool Rapids Riffle Shoal Stream capture Waterfall list of waterfalls Whitewater Surface runoff Agricultural wastewater First flush Urban runoff Floods and stormwater 100-year flood Crevasse splay Flash flood Flood Urban flooding Non-water flood Flood barrier Flood control Flood forecasting Flood-meadow Floodplain Flood pulse concept Flooded grasslands and savannas Inundation Storm Water Management Model Return period Point source pollution Effluent Industrial wastewater Sewage River measurement and modelling Baer's law Baseflow Bradshaw model Discharge (hydrology) Drainage density Exner equation Groundwater model Hack's law Hjulström curve Hydrograph Hydrological model Hydrological transport model Infiltration (hydrology) Main stem Playfair's law Relief ratio River Continuum Concept Rouse number Runoff curve number Runoff model (reservoir) Stream gauge WAFLEX Wetted perimeter Volumetric flow rate River engineering Aqueduct Balancing lake Canal Check dam Dam Drop structure Daylighting Detention basin Erosion control Fish ladder Floodplain restoration Flume Infiltration basin Leat Levee River morphology Retention basin Revetment Riparian-zone restoration Stream restoration Weir River sports Canyoning Fly fishing Rafting River surfing Riverboarding Stone skipping Triathlon Whitewater canoeing Whitewater kayaking Whitewater slalom Related Aquifer Aquatic toxicology Body of water Hydraulic civilization Limnology Riparian zone River valley civilization River cruise Sacred waters Surface water Wild river Rivers by length Rivers by discharge rate Drainage basins Whitewater rivers Flash floods River name etymologies Countries without rivers Authority control databases International GND Other Yale LUX --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Chine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chine) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chine?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.