Category: Uncategorized

Much of the local geography has been influenced by the Rose Canyon Fault Zone, which is related to the San Andreas System. We can see the exact line of the Country Club arm of this zone at the abrupt bend in the coastline. The Rose Canyon fault runs along I-5, then veers hard west. Land on the south side of the fault has moved westward relative to land on the north side of it. The land has stacked up at the bend in the fault to create Mount Soledad, and Point La Jolla has moved westward, jutting out significantly from the beaches of La Jolla Shores. Geologists warn that the Rose Canyon Fault is capable of producing a destructive 7.0 earthquake, but the probability of it occurring the next couple of hundred years is low.

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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