Which coastal landform is created by wave erosion at the base of cliffs, forming a flat bench?

• A. Tombolo
• B. Wave-Cut Platform
• C. Bathyal Zone
• D. Autotroph

Answer: (B)

Waves eroding the base of cliffs carve out a notch and, as undercutting and collapse continue, the cliff retreats and leaves behind a flat, horizontal shelf at the waterline. That flat shelf is a wave-cut platform, the bench formed by coastal erosion. It sits at the base of the cliff and is often exposed at low tide, marking the former position of the cliff face as sea level remains relatively stable over time. The other options describe different things: a tombolo is a sand spit connecting land to an island, the bathyal zone is a deep-ocean depth zone far offshore, and an autotroph is an organism that produces its own food, not a landform.