Firstly, there are lines of weakness, which are attacked by weathering, making cliff weak.
Secondly, the waves attack the base through abrasion and hydraulic power, which forms a wave cut notch.
Thirdly, the wave cut notch means there will be nothing supporting the cliff above, so it will be too heavy and collapse. This means the cliff has moved backwards.
Finally, this process repeats over time exposing a rocky platform at lowtide.
