Rancho Palos Verdes, a coastal community in the Los Angeles area, could be described as a geological ticking time bomb. The affluent city sits atop steep cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean that, for hundreds of years, have been slowly shifting and giving way. Whereas the ground slid downward 8 inches annually in years past, it has lurched 13 inches per week in some places between July and August. The Palos Verdes Peninsula is composed of weak rocks and beds of clay that prevent water from draining properly belowground. So during periods of heavy rain or high tectonic activity, the bluffs can slip, turning constant, slow-moving landslides into catastrophes.

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Persons: they’ve, ”, Eric Fielding, “, Gavin Newsom Organizations: Rancho Palos, Southern, Southern California Edison, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Rancho Palos Verdes, Gov, Palos Locations: Rancho Palos Verdes, Los Angeles, Southern California, Pasadena , California, Seaview, Palos Verdes