The platform of a marine terrace usually has a gradient between 1°5° depending on the former tidal range with, commonly, a linear to concave profile. The width is quite variable, reaching up to , and seems to differ between the northern and southern hemispheres. The cliff faces that delimit the platform can vary in steepness depending on the relative roles of marine and subaerial processes. At the intersection of the former shore (wave-cut/abrasion-) platform and the rising cliff face the platform commonly retains a shoreline angle or inner edge (notch) that indicates the location of the shoreline at the time of maximum sea ingression and therefore a paleo-sea level. Sub-horizontal platforms usually terminate in a low tide cliff, and it is believed that the occurrence of these platforms depends on tidal activity. Marine terraces can extend for several tens of kilometers parallel to the coast.