Terrace cuts in open-pit mining involve creating stepped levels or benches to access mineral deposits safely and efficiently. A bucket-wheel loader is commonly used for this purpose due to its large rotating wheel with buckets that can continuously scoop and remove large volumes of material, making it ideal for creating terraces in such environments. Front-end loaders, wheel tractor-scrapers, and clam shells are less suited for this specific task in open-pit mining, as they are typically used for smaller-scale excavation or different types of material handling.
Thus, the correct answer is Bucket-wheel loader.