An often-overlooked environment, the cliffs and their sloping bases provide safe harbor for many marine species to rest and raise their offspring. The vertical cliffs create safe nesting areas for Brandt’s Cormorants, sea gulls, and falcons. Their sloping bases provide critical haul-outs for sea lions and perches for pelicans and other birds. In the spring, look for cormorant and sea gull chicks. Sea lions give birth on the rocky beaches and coves in late June and early July. These 75-million-year-old sandstone cliffs host the sea caves that draw many visitors to their beauty every year. The cliffs have been fractured by faulting activity along the Rose Canyon Fault System. The fractures are weak and susceptible to wave action and the cracks grow larger over time. The seven major sea caves that have eroded as a result of these fractures are named as follows, from east to west: White Lady (named for its ladylike silhouette), Little Sister, Shopping Cart (named for the lone shopping cart abandoned inside by local high school students, which now supports marine life), Sea Surprise (named for the accumulation of items that wash up regularly here), Arch Cave, Sunny Jim’s Cave (accessible by land through a tunnel dug in the early 1900’s and used to smuggle alcohol and Chinese immigrants), and The Clam Cave (the largest and oldest cave).
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