19 



between Playa del Rey and Redondo Beach, The dunes range in 

 elevation from 85 to 185 feet above sea level, and have an 

 estimated volume of 36 billion cubic yards of sand. Vegetation 

 has anchored the dunes in many places so that today running 

 water and wind cuase only minor changes in their structure. 



Lithologically, the cemented dune sands compare closely 

 with the beach sands now found in Santa Monica Bay. Subrounded 

 sand grains were found to be very abundant in only the larger 

 sand sizes and frosting and pitting, generally believed to 

 result from wind action, occur on about 5 to 15% of the grains. 

 The coarse sands appear to be derived primarily from a granitic 

 source. Reddish-brown sands, similar to the red sands found 

 offshore, are common in the sand dunes; the color resulting 

 from the presence of iron oxide as a stain on the grains. 

 According to Poland, et aJ. (1945), Woodring, e_t aJ. (1946), 

 and Merriam (1949), a marine platform, correlated with the 

 lowest and youngest terrace in Palos Verdes Hills has been 

 deformed along the Newport -Inglewood fault zone as have the 

 sands of Upper Pleistocene age which were deposited on its 

 surface during a higher stand of the sea. After the deposi- 

 tion of this sand (Palos Verdes formation), a large region 

 west of the Newport-Inglewood fault zone was uplifted above 

 sea level. Nonraarine terrace material of Upper Pleistocene 

 age was deposited on this uplifted stirface in the Palos Verdes 

 Hills and various places inland. There is some dispute as to 

 whether the El Segundo Sand Hills are partly offshore bars 

 (Eckis, 1934; Poland, et^ al , , 1948) or wholly of eolian origin 

 (Merriam, 1949). Merriam concluded that the sand hills are 



