Wave-Cut Platform Flashcards
Understand the formation of wave-cut platforms
What are wave-cut platforms?
Wave-cut platforms are wide, gently sloping surfaces found at the cliff’s base and extend into the sea.
How do wave-cut platforms form?
Wave-cut platforms primarily form when destructive waves hit against the soft and steep cliff surface, causing an undercut between the high and low watermark as a result of constant abrasion, erosion and hydraulic action.
What happens after constant erosion?
As the wave cut notch becomes deeper and deeper, the cliff becomes unstable and collapses due to gravity. The rocks are then transported away by the waves, forming a wave-cut platform.
Give me an example of a wave-cut platform.
Flamborough, Holderness Coast. At the Holderness Coast, the sea waves constantly attack the base of the cliff and a wave-cut notch is created by erosional processes such as hydraulic action and abrasion.
