Describe and explain the formation of wave cut platforms.

A wave cut platform is an area of hard, flat rock located in front of a cliff. It is mainly visible during low tide and is hidden during high tide, and appears to have grooves and ridges formed via the process of erosion. An example of a wavecut platform includes Seven Sisters in Sussex. During high tide, when the sea has more kinetic energy, erosion occurs via the processes of hydraulic action (water) and abrasion (the rubbing together of rocks). Erosion occurs at the base of the cliff, forming a wave cut notch and an overhang that lies above this. The wave cut notch has an increasingly smooth surface as erosion occurs, and the overhang increases in weight and size over time until it eventually collapses. This process repeats over a long period of time, resulting in the retreat of the cliff face. As the cliff retreats, a wave cut platform is left behind, mainly visible and identifiable during low tide. The grooves and ridges are evident alongside small pond and rock pools where small marine species can be found. The wave cut platform has a gentle gradient, and is made of a more resistant rock; therefore helping to explain why it has not been fully eroded by the sea. These platforms rarely extend more than 500m into the sea, as at some point the energy is no longer strong enough to erode the cliff base and the wave cut platform remains the same size.