The Côte d'Albâtre (Alabaster Coast) - whose choronym designates the coastal region of the Pays de Caux bordering the English Channel - is made up of 80 miles (130 km) of coastline. It is punctuated by 98 to 393 ft (30 to 120 m) high cliffs interspersed with depressions called valleuses allowing access to the sea. High vertical and subvertical walls of limestone, these cliffs alternate layers of dark flint and yellowish marl. The name Côte d'Albâtre refers to the milky-white color that the sea can take on when the chalk they are made of begins to dissolve under the effect of maritime erosion.