Rock coasts and shore platforms are conspicuous landforms along the Mediterranean and Black Sea (MBS) coasts. These
coasts have been fashioned by changes in sea-level because of vertical movements of the land and variations in eustatic and isostatic
sea-level. For this reason, the Quaternary evolution of MBS coasts has been extensively studied, even starting from geomorphological
markers, while very few researches have addressed the processes related to their origin and evolution. Despite most of the Mediterranean
coast being rocky, studies about rocky shore processes are almost completely lacking, except for limited areas. Data on sea cliff
retreats have mainly been collected to study the susceptibility of cliff failures or to prevent landslides, in particular along shores used
for tourism. Data on erosion rates and processes on shore platforms are generally scarce and restricted to limestone bedrocks. In this
paper, we summarize the results of studies of rates and processes of rocky coasts of the countries overlooking the Mediterranean and
Black Seas and review the current knowledge concerning rock coasts in the MBS area.
