Wave-Cut Platform – A rocky shelf/flat bed at or around sea level, representing the base of old, retreated cliffs

To remember the meaning of the term Wave-Cut Platform, use the following mnemonic:

She waved as she stood on the newly cut out platform (wave-cut platform). Good job there were no big waves otherwise she might have been washed away.

A wave-cut platform forms when waves impact against a cliff face. Where the waves strike, a recess forms as rock is gradually eroded. The cliff is undermined and the rock above collapses repeatedly as the cliff retreats inland over thousands, even millions, of years.

The wave action takes place between high and low tides, which results in a clearly defined "cut" into the rock. At low tide level, a flat area of rock grows ever bigger. This is the wave-cut platform which can occupy surprisingly large areas.

Evidence of different sea and lake levels in the past is provided by ancient wave-cut platforms. Raised and abandoned platforms, sometimes found behind today's beaches, show that water levels were once higher.