Cliff Erosion
1. Wave erosion is greatest where waves break at the base of a
cliff.
2. A wave-cut notch is formed at the base of a cliff due to undercutting by wave erosion (e.g. abrasion / hydraulic action)
3. As undercutting continues, the cliff will eventually collapse and retreat.
4. The gentle sloping rocky platform left behind when the cliff retreats is called a wave-cut platform. This feature is only exposed at low-tide.
A good named example of an eroding cliff face and well
developed wave-cut platform would be:
Flamborough Head (North Yorkshire Coast)
or
Wave-cut platform at Runswick Bay (North Yorkshire)
Back Headlands and Bays Erosion of a Headland Coastal Deposition Features