LOS ANGELES (KTLA) – New research from NASA shows that the Palos Verdes Peninsula, an area in the South Bay home to cities like Rancho Palos Verdes, Rolling Hills Estates and San Pedro, is shifting towards the ocean.
Data from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory airborne radar shows that during a four-week period last fall, the residential area shifted towards the Pacific Ocean as much as 4 inches per week.
The image from NASA indicates how fast parts of the landslide complex were moving last September and October, with the darkest reds indicating the highest speeds. The white arrows represent the direction of horizontal motion.
“In effect, we’re seeing that the footprint of land experiencing significant impacts has expanded, and the speed is more than enough to put human life and infrastructure at risk,” Alexander Handwerger, the JPL landslide scientist who performed the analysis, said in a statement.
The Palos Verdes Peninsula has experienced accelerated land movement thanks to Hurricane Hilary’s record-breaking rainfall totals in 2023.
Due to the movement, the Wayfarers Chapel in Rancho Palos Verdes closed indefinitely last year. Church leadership also announced plans to disassemble the iconic California landmark.
Multiple roadways, homes and infrastructure were also damaged due to the continuous land movement.
Gov. Gavin Newsom also declared a state of emergency in the area due to the ongoing land movement last year.
