NASA Radar Reveals Accelerated Landslides on California's Palos Verdes Peninsula

Heavy rainfall and climate change are driving faster land movement, threatening hundreds of buildings and infrastructure in the coastal region.

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory detected land on the Palos Verdes Peninsula shifting toward the Pacific Ocean at rates of up to 4 inches per week during fall 2024.
The accelerated movement follows record-breaking rainfall from Hurricane Hilary in 2023 and additional heavy precipitation in early 2024, which saturated the ground and destabilized the area.
The landslide zone has expanded beyond previously mapped boundaries, now impacting hundreds of residential buildings and infrastructure in the region.
NASA utilized advanced radar technologies, including UAVSAR and data from the European Space Agency's Copernicus satellites, to monitor the landslide's speed and direction.
The findings underscore the growing risks of climate change-induced extreme weather, with researchers planning further studies on how shifting hydroclimate patterns influence landslides.