The tightly curved beds here were laid down flat! On the coast of southern California, the sedimentary rocks have been folded and contorted every which way. To complicate matters, they also endure splitting and shifting. To the right of the falls, the layers have been shifted outward and slightly offset, because a fault (interface between two moved rock slabs) separates them. Streams and waterfalls often follow faults because their broken and ground-up rock erodes more easily than the masses on either side. This is even the case here, where the waterfall is only a temporary little cascade that forms during unusual, significant rains.
Rancho Palos Verdes CA (10 Feb 3) Looking NNE
33.7416, -118.378Falls’ Fault
The tightly curved beds here were laid down flat! On the coast of southern California, the sedimentary rocks have been folded and contorted every which way. To complicate matters, they also endure splitting and shifting. To the right of the falls, the layers have been shifted outward and slightly offset, because a fault (interface between two moved rock slabs) separates them. Streams and waterfalls often follow faults because their broken and ground-up rock erodes more easily than the masses on either side. This is even the case here, where the waterfall is only a temporary little cascade that forms during unusual, significant rains.
Rancho Palos Verdes CA (10 Feb 3) Looking NNE
33.7416, -118.378