No Torrey Sandstone!:
Immediately south of the Rock Pile, where the public access stairway is located, is an area where serious erosion has occurred. The reason is that the Torrey Sandstone is missing in this area. Prior to deposition of the Bay Point Formation, the Torrey Sandstone was eroded, forming a gully in this area, which was later filled in with the Bay Point Formation. Thus, the filled-in gully is now exposed as Bay Point Formation all the way to the beach. Since the Bay Point Formation is so much younger and softer, it easily erodes here. The riprap and ice plant are testimony to the efforts to keep the area stable. The next photo shows another approach to dealing with the lack of Torrey Sandstone in this area.