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Coastal Systems and Landscapes

Cliffs, Notches and Wave-Cut Platforms

  • 4 things to know
  • Component 1

Overview

Recall questions on what starts cliff formation, how a wave-cut notch undercuts the face and what follows the collapse of the overhang.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

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Key term

What process initiates cliff formation at the coast?

Key term

How do caves form in coastal cliffs?

Key term

Why is the balance between marine erosion rate and weathering important for cliff form?

Process

Explain how a wave-cut notch leads to cliff retreat.

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    What process initiates cliff formation at the coast?

    Model answer

    Wave attack at the cliff base, where wave energy is concentrated against the rock.

  2. 2

    What is a wave-cut notch?

    Model answer

    An indentation eroded into the base of a cliff by wave action, typically at high tide level.

  3. 3

    How does undercutting contribute to cliff development?

    Model answer

    The wave-cut notch removes support from the rock above, leaving an unstable overhang.

  4. 4

    What happens to the overhanging material above a wave-cut notch?

    Model answer

    It collapses under its own weight when the notch becomes too deep to support it.

  5. 5

    What is cliff retreat?

    Model answer

    The progressive landward movement of a cliff face as repeated cycles of undercutting and collapse occur.

  6. 6

    Define a wave-cut platform.

    Model answer

    A gently sloping rocky surface exposed at low tide, formed by cliff retreat leaving behind the eroded base of the former cliff.

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