Sea Cliffs, Beaches, and Coastal Valleys of San Diego County: Some Amazing Histories and Some Horrifying Implications

342 Pages·1991·10.23 MB·English

by  Gerald G. Kuhn

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Page iii
Sea Cliffs, Beaches, and Coastal Valleys of San
Diego County
Some Amazing Histories and Some Horrifying
Implications
Gerald G. Kuhn
Francis P. Shepard
Page iv
University of California Press
Berkeley and Los Angeles, California
University of California Press, Ltd.
Oxford, England
Copyright © 1984 by The Regents of the University of California
First Paperback Printing 1991
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Kuhn, Gerald G.
Sea cliffs, beaches, and coastal valleys of San Diego
County, California.
Bibliography: p. 175
Includes index.
1. Coast changesCaliforniaSan Diego County.
2. San Diego County (Calif.)Climate. I. Shepard,
Francis Parker, 1897 . II. Title.
GB458.8.K84 1984 551.4¢57¢0979498 83-18064
ISBN 0-520-07433-5
Printed in the United States of America
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements
of American National Standard for Information SciencesPermanence
of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.481984.
Page v
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction xi
Part I 1
General Character and Climatic History of Area
1. General Description of Coastal Area 3
2. Methods of Study 9
3. Climatic Changes in the Past Few Centuries 13
Explosive Volcanic Eruptions and the Immense 14
Alteration of Weather Associated with Them
Data Analysis 24
Conclusions 28
Great Windstorms of the Nineteenth Century 29
Great Floods of the Nineteenth Century 31
Infrequent Floods of the Early Twentieth Century 37
Part II 39
Description of Coastal History in Geographic Sequence
4. San Onofre and Camp Pendleton Area 41
Oceanside Littoral Cell 41
The Faulted Coast at San Onofre and the Nuclear Power 41
Plant
Nature of Coastal Cliffs and Canyon Erosion 44
Accelerated Erosion Caused by Man 46
Bar System Formed by Rapid Canyon Cutting and 49
Landslides
Page vi
5. Santa Margarita River South through Oceanside and 51
Carlsbad
Description of the Area 51
Works of Man 52
Harbor Construction: At Camp Pendleton and North of 55
Oceanside
Cobble Beaches 57
Failure of Sand To Return to Beaches during Summer 63
1980
6. Leucadia South through Solana Beach 69
Description of the Area 69
Old Surveys and Maps of Encinitas Showing Extensive 70
Coastal Changes
Construction on Bluff Tops and Methods for Preventing 71
Bluff Erosion
Formation and Collapse of Caves and Arches 77
Loss of Beach Access Stairs 83
Erosion History at Self-Realization Fellowship Property 87
Collapse of Highway 101 and Subsequent Stabilization 93
The Precarious Existence of Restaurant Row at Cardiff- 95
by-the-Sea
7. Del Mar and Vicinity 97
Description of the Area 97

Page vii
San Dieguito River Flood Plain 99
The Beach and Its Sand Replenishment 101
Coastal Canyon Erosion and Lagoon Siltation 103
Threat to the Railroad Along the Cliff and General 103
Changes
Recent Summer Cliff Failures 105
8. The High Cliffed Area between Sorrento Valley and 107
North La Jolla
Description of the Area 107
History of Lower Reaches of Sorrento Valley 109
Torrey Pines State Preserve and Its Cliffs 111
Torrey Pines Landslides 111
Blacks Beach Landslides 112
Spectacular Location of the U.S. Fisheries and Wildlife 114
Buildings, and the Cliff Margin of Scripps IGPP
Building
9. La Jolla and Its Projecting Point 117
Description of the Area 117
Alluvial Cliffs near Scripps Institution 121
Submarine Canyons off La Jolla 129
Rose Canyon Fault Zone and Change in Coastal 131
Configuration
Sea Arches and Stacks at Point La Jolla 132

Page viii
10. Pacific Beach and Mission Beach; San Diego Bay and 143
River
Description of the Area 143
Changes in Mission Beach and Mission Bay 144
History of San Diego Harbor and River Channel 144
Changes
11. Sunset Cliffs and Point Loma 149
Description of the Area 149
Rapid Erosion of Sunset Cliffs in Recent Years 150
Ballast Point 155
12. Coronado and Imperial Beach 157
Description of the Area 157
Silver Strand Littoral Cell 157
Zuniga Jetty and the Building of the Hotel Del 159
Coronado
Imperial Beach Erosion 163
13. Conclusions 165
Geological Timetable 169
Glossary 170
References 175
Index 183