14 



Santa Monica Plain 



Hoots (1931, p, 130) designated the south flank of the 

 Santa Monica Mountains as the Santa Monica Plain. Poland, ejt 

 al. (1945), on the other hand, restricted the name to the older 

 alluvial surface lying west of Beverly Hills. The underlying 

 platform was cut by marine erosion in Late Pleistocene time 

 and subsequently was covered partially by marine and continental 

 sands and gravels. While the plain and most of its deposits 

 are considered to be of Late Pleistocene age, the surface has 

 been modified in Recent time by erosion as shown by the broad 

 channels and gullies. Later deposition of coarse deposits has 

 partially filled the channels. 



Ocean Park Plain 



The Ocean Park Plain is part of the Santa Monica Plain 

 as designated by Hoots, but was restricted by Poland, et^ al. 

 (1945) to the region "whose surfaces is composed substantially 

 of marine deposits of Late Pleistocene (Palos Verdes) age, 

 and which lies largely in the south-west angle of Pico Blvd. 

 and Bundy Drive." This mesa extends inland from the coast 

 about 3 miles, is 1-2 miles wide, varies in height from about 

 125 to 200 feet, and is relatively undeformed. The plain has 

 been divided into three smaller units by Poland: (1) a small 

 bench to the east, about 190 feet above sea level, (2) an 

 extensive central plain which slopes gently southward, and 

 (3) a ridge-and-trench area paralleling the coast, considered 

 to be Upper Pleistocene in age (Hoots, 1931). According to 

 Hoots, part of the western region consists of old sand bars 



