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University of California. 



[Vol. i. 



times several hundred yards wide, and may be observed extending 

 parallel to the coast for many miles at several localities between San 

 Diego and the San Luis Rey River. The higher have been observed 

 only on Soledad Mountain, which is marked by a series of wave-cut 

 terraces, with their complementary sea-cliffs, characteristic seaward 

 slope, strictly horizontal scoring of the hillside, and sharp "base- 

 leveling" of the slightly inclined strata. The altitudes of the more 

 prominent of these terraces are about 700, 600, 520, 340, and 160 

 feet, as determined by aneroid. 



SAN PEDRO HILL. 



Physiography. — San Pedro Hill is an abruptly projecting, lofty 

 headland of the coast, situated about half way between Point Con- 

 ception and the Mexican boundary. It is an island-like, rather flat- 

 topped ridge, the trend of which corresponds in general with that 

 of the coast. The base of the hill is surrounded on three sides, the 

 east, south, and west, by the ocean. On the north side a low, sandy 

 tract stretches away from its base, merging into the great plain of 

 Los Angeles. A very moderate depression of the coast, probably 

 not more than 150 feet, would make San Pedro Hill an island. 

 Thus situated, encircled by ocean and low plain, the hill is more 

 closely associated in its physiographic relations with the islands off 

 the coast than with the mainland. The hill may, in fact, as will ap- 

 pear in the sequel, be considered as one of the Channel Islands, 

 which has but recently been reclaimed from the ocean by the uplift 

 of the coast. It is roughly parallel to Santa Catalina and San Cle- 

 mente, and the three lie in a line and are about equally spaced. 



The hill is 1,475 feet high, according to the Coast Survey. It 

 is quite bare of timber and shrubbery, so that its topographical fea- 

 tures may be perceived clearly at a glance. The most striking of 

 these features are : — 



1. The bold, almost perfectly continuous sea-cliff which encir- 

 cles the hill above the shore line. This sea-cliff ranges usually from 

 100 to 200 feet in height. It is frequently over 200 feet, and in one 

 place exceeds 300 feet vertical. The Coast Survey chart shows a 

 broad sub-aqueous shelf, or terrace, continuous with, and comple- 

 mentary to, this cliff, extending out from its base with a gentle 

 seaward slope. 



