Discovery Park

The south side of Discovery Park shares the same deep-seated landslide complex that characterizes most of the southwest shore of Magnolia - the difference here being that the slide is sort of doing what it always did, whereas elsewhere in Magnolia, great efforts have been taken to stabilize the slope enough to build homes on top of it.

But here in the Park, we get a glimpse of a big landslide in action. The slope is sliding on clay at, or slightly below beach level.  This is a common scenario for these deep slides and the symptoms are often similar.

AERIAL VIEW

Previous Posts:

Discovery Park: February 2010
West Point: February 2012

The beach (way out onto the terrace) is a mosaic of subtle ridges of cobble and clay, likely artifacts of past movement on the slide as the coastline has retreated.  Although there are some intact outcrops of clay on the beach, most show signs of uplift, tilting, internal deformation, and a general tendency towards soft and gooey. 

The eroding bluff at the toe of the slide consists of sandier material and large wood that has been incorporated into the slide mass as it has gradually moved towards the beach.