A recent study by researchers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory found that the Palos Verdes Peninsula in Los Angeles County experienced significant landslide movement during a four-week period in fall 2024. The analysis, which used data from airborne radar and satellite imagery, determined that landslides slid towards the ocean as much as 4 inches per week.
The study reveals that the peninsula’s slow-moving landslides have been affecting hundreds of buildings in local communities for at least six decades. Heavy rainfall in Southern California in 2023 and early 2024 accelerated the motion and expanded the active landslide area.
NASA’s Advanced Rapid Imaging and Analysis (ARIA) team used data from four flights of the Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR) instrument to create a visualization of the landslides. The analysis indicates that the speed and direction of the landslides are increasing, posing a significant risk to human life and infrastructure.
The findings were made available to California officials to support their response to the landslides and are also being shared with the public through NASA’s Disaster Mapping Portal.
Source: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasa-radar-imagery-reveals-details-about-los-angeles-area-landslides