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How fast is a landslide complex near L.A. slipping toward the ocean?

Answer: Four inches a week.

Aerial view of an ocean on the left with waves crashing on the shore of a sandy beach on the right.
A peninsula south of Los Angeles has been slowly slipping toward the Pacific Ocean for decades, but recent data reveals that its pace has rapidly increased. The Palos Verdes Peninsula is now moving at a rate of 4 inches (10 centimeters) per week.

The data was collected by NASA’s Advanced Rapid Imaging and Analysis using its Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR). UAVSAR captured the data from a Gulfstream III jet that flew over the area four times between September and October of last year. The team then put together a chilling visualization showing the direction and velocity of the landmass’ movements.

“In effect, we’re seeing that the footprint of land experiencing significant impacts has expanded, and the speed is more than enough to put human life and infrastructure at risk,” said Alexander Handwerger, a landslide scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.