The old abrasion platforms where the ocean cut steps can be recognized by layers of the cobbles that were the ocean's tools. The cobbles are now at the base of the sediments that buried the steps. The easiest cobble layer to find is the one at the base of the Lindavista formation covering the Clairemont terrace. In the Bay Point, layer of cobbles mark the base of each terrace. Any land above sea level is being eroded by physical, chemical, and biological processes.
Soils creep slowly downhill and sometimes slide rapidly.
A good example of a slide in soil is just off the road near the entrance to the Reserve. Running water is the most important erosion agent in the Reserve. Soil and rocks in the lagoon have been carried to sea to become new sand on our beaches. Dams on our rivers have reduced the sand washed down into the ocean and our beaches are starving for sand. Even the small streams crossing the Reserve cut deep canyons in time.