slopes

But for a group of physicists, these unique seeds -- and the way they bounce and roll down slopes -- could help them better understand landslides and avalanches, leading to research that could save lives.

On any day, migrants might be illegally crossing the border nearby, breaching a fence that starts, stops and varies in height, a product of shifting politics and stony slopes.

More than half of their one-acre property was the steep hillside in their backyard, but unlike many of the slopes in their neighborhood, much of the hill had been terraced.

“The dry vegetation, steep slopes and wind aligned yesterday to create conditions for the rapid fire spread,” Cal Fire officials said.

Instead, the fire raced up steep slopes into forested areas, growing into a 23,000-acre behemoth that destroyed 160 structures and injured 22 people.