The Veserne-Plet-Engbjerg district comprises a flat, low-lying area northwest of Lemvig that is limited by the isthmus of Harboøre Tange to the north and by a steep slope to the south and east (Figure 29-1). The area is a marine foreland and the slope is a “fossil” coastal cliff.
The landscape here was strongly influenced by the marked changes in relative sea level that took place as a result of the isostatic uplift of the land and eustatic sea level changes after the melting of the Weichselian ice. The relative sea level fell when elevation of the land occurred faster than the sea level rise – and vice versa. During the interval from 14.000 – 9.000 years ago (the Continental period), sea level was so low that Denmark was continuous with Britain and Sweden. During the Atlantic period (about 9.000 – 6.000 years ago) the last part of the North America ice sheet melted and the sea level rose rapidly. In the Engbjerg area sea level was about 2 m higher than today and the sea inundated low-lying areas. The so-called Littorina Sea is named after the common sea snail Littorina littorea that was widespread. The marked slope that rises 20-30 m above the low-lying areas was a coastal cliff in the Littorina Sea.
Since then, isostatic elevation of the land has outpaced sea level rise so that the old sea floor is now dry land. The previous coastal cliff is now many kilometers inland. The area is now a marine foreland since it consists of marine sediments. The former coastal cliff and the hilly hinterland consist of glacial deposits.