A flat, wave-eroded surface along the coast is called the

• A. Beach face
• B. Swash
• C. Wave-cut Bench
• D. Berm

Answer: (C)

When waves continually attack the base of a cliff, they undercut the rock and carve out a relatively flat platform at the shoreline. This flat, wave-eroded surface is known as a wave-cut bench. It forms as the cliff retreats over time, leaving behind a level rock surface that may be exposed at low tide and submerged at high tide. It’s distinct from a berm, which is a raised ridge of deposited sand or pebbles at the upper beach, and from the beach face, which is the sloping part of the beach between the high and low water marks. Swash refers to the uprush of water onto the beach, not a surface feature.