rocky cliffs
Sheer coastal escarpments
Rocky cliffs are steep rock faces, typically rising sharply from water or terrain below.
The phrase is slightly redundant—cliffs are by nature rocky—but emphasizes ruggedness and dramatic geology: Waves crashed against the rocky cliffs, Seabirds nested on the rocky cliffs above the harbor.
Common in descriptions of coastlines and mountain landscapes.
- promontoryElevated land jutting waterward
- bluffCalculated false front
- cragSteep rugged outcrop
- escarpmentSteep slope dividing elevations
- erosionGradual wearing away
freeze-thaw cycles · worn away · outcrop · lichen · coastal path · seabird · nesting colony · crevice · sea stack · weathering · headland · basalt · precipice · danger zone · ridge · granite · talus · rockfall
- coastsshoreline, sandy shore, coves, bays, rocky shore
- romantic poetry imagerymisty valleys, starry nights, autumn leaves, spring blossoms, dewdrops
- mountainsmountain, peaks, peak, summit, summits
- Alpine SceneryMont Blanc, Matterhorn, Swiss Alps, Dolomites, alpine landscapes
terrain steepness and composition
rocky cliffsgentle slopes
Gradual changes in elevation
rolling hills · sandy beaches · level ground · lowlands · valleys