﻿350 
  J. 
  Barrel! 
  — 
  The 
  Piedmont 
  Terraces 
  

  

  probably 
  correctly 
  so, 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  best 
  examples 
  of 
  marine 
  abra- 
  

   sion 
  on 
  a 
  large 
  scale 
  yet 
  discovered 
  along 
  our 
  present 
  coasts. 
  

   Nansen 
  describes 
  similar 
  platforms 
  of 
  marine 
  abrasion 
  fringing 
  

   the 
  coasts 
  of 
  Siberia, 
  Greenland, 
  and 
  other 
  land 
  areas, 
  none 
  of 
  

   which 
  are 
  so 
  broad 
  as 
  the 
  Norwegian 
  case, 
  although 
  a 
  breadth 
  

   of 
  nearly 
  20 
  miles 
  is 
  not 
  unknown. 
  23 
  

  

  In 
  his 
  excellent 
  paper 
  on 
  the 
  physiography 
  of 
  the 
  east 
  

   coast 
  of 
  India, 
  Cushing 
  has 
  described 
  the 
  old 
  elevated 
  

   peneplane, 
  the 
  marine 
  denudation 
  plain 
  with 
  an 
  extreme 
  

   breadth 
  of 
  over 
  40 
  miles, 
  and 
  the 
  remarkable 
  sea 
  cliff 
  

   which 
  separates 
  them. 
  26 
  In 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  sea 
  cliff 
  he 
  

   says: 
  

  

  "The 
  ancient 
  sea 
  wall 
  which 
  forms 
  the 
  eastern 
  slope 
  of 
  the 
  

   Ghats 
  is 
  shown 
  to 
  be 
  such 
  by 
  its 
  relation 
  to 
  the 
  plain 
  of 
  marine 
  

   denudation, 
  both 
  being 
  carved 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  structure 
  already 
  

   referred 
  to 
  in 
  considering 
  the 
  peneplain, 
  and 
  by 
  the 
  lack 
  of 
  

   those 
  characteristics 
  which 
  indicate 
  a 
  fault 
  scarp. 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  The 
  sea 
  

   wall 
  is 
  boldest 
  in 
  the 
  south 
  near 
  Kodaikanal, 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  where 
  it 
  rises 
  

   from 
  the 
  inner 
  margin 
  of 
  the 
  Carnatic 
  to 
  an 
  altitude 
  of 
  over 
  

   7,200 
  feet 
  with 
  an 
  average 
  slope 
  of 
  32°. 
  In 
  many 
  places 
  it 
  

   approaches 
  the 
  'sheer 
  precipice' 
  so 
  much 
  recorded 
  in 
  general 
  

   literature, 
  and 
  so 
  little 
  found 
  in 
  nature. 
  It 
  is 
  so 
  formidable 
  

   that 
  a 
  bridle 
  path 
  is 
  the 
  only 
  means 
  of 
  ascent. 
  It 
  would 
  seem 
  

   that 
  the 
  weaker 
  members 
  here 
  underlying 
  the 
  resistant 
  struc- 
  

   tures 
  permitted 
  the 
  sea 
  to 
  develop 
  a 
  steep 
  sea 
  wall 
  and 
  the 
  drain- 
  

   age 
  of 
  the 
  peneplain 
  to 
  the 
  west 
  helped 
  to 
  preserve 
  it 
  in 
  that 
  

   condition. 
  In 
  the 
  northern 
  sections 
  where 
  the 
  peneplain 
  has 
  a 
  

   lower 
  altitude 
  the 
  sea 
  wall 
  is 
  less 
  striking 
  in 
  height, 
  and 
  those 
  

   conditions 
  which 
  gave 
  the 
  peneplain 
  a 
  mature 
  dissection 
  per- 
  

   mitted 
  the 
  adjoining 
  sea 
  wall 
  to 
  develop 
  a 
  gentle 
  slope. 
  The 
  sea 
  

   through 
  its 
  long 
  continued 
  action 
  at 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  wall 
  searched 
  

   out 
  the 
  less 
  resistant 
  structures, 
  and 
  with 
  the 
  help 
  of 
  the 
  other 
  

   denuding 
  agents, 
  made 
  it 
  retreat 
  most 
  where 
  weakest 
  and 
  most 
  

   exposed, 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  sea 
  wall 
  to-day 
  is 
  irregular 
  and 
  fragmen- 
  

   tary." 
  

  

  Sea 
  cliffs 
  with 
  wide 
  platforms 
  at 
  their 
  bases 
  in 
  both 
  

   hard 
  and 
  soft 
  rocks 
  show 
  that 
  marine 
  planation 
  can 
  be 
  

   rapid 
  enough 
  to 
  cut 
  tens 
  of 
  miles 
  inland 
  before 
  fluvial 
  

   denudation 
  can 
  peneplane 
  the 
  adjacent 
  land. 
  With 
  lower 
  

   cliffs 
  the 
  shore 
  erosion 
  would 
  cut 
  farther 
  inland 
  in 
  a 
  

   given 
  period 
  of 
  time 
  though 
  not 
  in 
  direct 
  proportion 
  to 
  

   the 
  lesser 
  volume 
  of 
  cliff 
  material 
  to 
  be 
  removed, 
  for 
  

   erosion 
  of 
  the 
  cliff 
  can 
  doubtless 
  be 
  carried 
  forward 
  by 
  

  

  25 
  Op. 
  cit., 
  pp. 
  230-231. 
  

  

  26 
  S. 
  W. 
  Cushing: 
  The 
  East 
  Coast 
  of 
  India, 
  Bull. 
  Am. 
  Geog. 
  Soc. 
  ; 
  vol. 
  

   45, 
  pp. 
  81-92, 
  1913. 
  

  

  