USGS Science⌕ Search
Home/Archive/USGS

USGS · fs20183002

Landscapes from the waves—Marine terraces of California

Marjorie S. Schulz·Corey Lawrence·Daniel R. Muhs·Carol S. Prentice·Sam Flanagan
View original source ↗Read source document ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

Many coastlines around the world have stair-step landforms, known as marine terraces. Marine terraces make up a large part of coastal California’s landscape—from San Diego to Crescent City. Find out how these landscapes form, why marine terraces are of interest to scientists, and where you can explore these landscapes.

Explore related subjects

Fact SheetReport
90° N90° S · 180° W ← longitude → 180° E
Source-reported bounding extent: 32.534156° to 42.009247° latitude; -124.409591° to -114.134768° longitude. This indicates report coverage, not an exact sampling location. View area on OpenStreetMap.

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

Marjorie S. Schulz, Corey Lawrence, Daniel R. Muhs, Carol S. Prentice, Sam Flanagan. 2018-03-08. Landscapes from the waves—Marine terraces of California. https://doi.org/10.3133/fs20183002

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related USGS reports

USGS2026

Water in, no water out—How a rain garden reduced stormwater at City Hall in Gary, Indiana

Introduction Urban stormwater runoff can be an issue in many communities because it may cause flooding, overwhelm sewage treatment plants, and negatively affect water quality in local streams, lakes, and other waterbodies. Stormwater runoff can be controlled by using "green infrastructure," which consists of engineered structures that imitate nature to collect stormwater runoff, reduce the amount of runoff, and improve water quality. In 2014, the city of Gary, Indiana implemented green infrastructure to reduce the negative effects of urban stormwater on Lake Michigan and its tributaries. From November 2016 to June 2017, the mostly impermeable parking lot in front of Gary City Hall was removed and rebuilt with a rain garden. The U.S. Geological Survey studied how the rain garden reduced stormwater runoff and published results in Scientific Investigations Report 2022–5101.

Fact Sheet↗