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cliff Møn: chalk cliffs Chalk cliffs at Stubbenkammer promontory, Rügen, Germany. Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland
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cliff
cliff Cliff in Alicante province, Spain.

cliff

geology
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News •

A Caller Told 911 a Bear Had Chased Him Off a Cliff. The Police Say It Was Murder. • Oct. 29, 2024, 12:42 AM ET (New York Times)

cliff, steep slope of earth materials, usually a rock face, that is nearly vertical and may be overhanging. Structural cliffs may form as the result of fault displacement or the resistance of a cap rock to uniform downcutting. Erosional cliffs form along shorelines or valley walls where the most extensive erosion takes place at the base of the slope. Because of their greater gradient, cliffs are subjected to greater erosive action and tend to retreat more rapidly than other slopes.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.