13 



have been uplifted and shifted to the west in relation to 

 Santa Monica Bay. Most of the other faults within the mountains 

 are small and probably have had little effect on the geological 

 history of the bay. 



Except in the vicinity of Malibu Creek, the slopes of the 

 Santa Monica Mountains adjacent to the bay are steep and in 

 places form nearly vertical sea cliffs. The coast is irregular, 

 being cut by numerous canyons, and is quite rocky; especially 

 between Las Flores Canyon and Santa Monica Canyon. The beaches 

 from Malibu to about Las Flores Canyon are sajidy and continuous, 

 but east of this point to about Santa Monica Canyon the natural 

 beaches are small. The earliest topographic sheets of the 

 U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, made in 1876-77, show narrow 

 sandy beaches extending from Point Dume to Las Flores Canyon. 

 From the latter point to Castle Rock the shore was mostly 

 rocky. The construction of the Coast Highway and the use of 

 groins has slightly altered the shore, but the beaches are 

 probably about the same as they were when the first surveys 

 were made. From Castle Rock to Sunset Boulevard, the old 

 maps show a beach about 75 feet wide, but from here southeast 

 the shore was rocky for a short distance. From this rocky 

 shore to Santa Monica there was a continuous sandy beach. 

 Man has altered this part of the shore appreciably in the last 

 50 to 80 years. From Potrero Canyon to Santa Monica Pier the 

 shore is bordered by a nearly vertical sea cliff which varies 

 in elevation from 60 to 160 feet above sea level. 



