Big Sur landslide adds 13 acres to California coastline | CNN

Landslide buries California scenic highway

00:47 - Source: CNN

Devastating landslides 11 videos

Landslide buries California scenic highway

00:47

Now playing

- Source: CNN

Moment landslide hurtles toward Swiss town

00:51

Now playing

- Source: CNN

Hundreds dead, missing in Sierra Leone

01:15

Now playing

- Source: CNN

Video shows moment of landslide in China

00:46

Now playing

- Source: CNN

guatemala mudslide darlington pkg_00004219.jpg

Guatemala landslide death toll rises to 161

01:30

Now playing

- Source: CNN

People search for relatives after a landslide in Salgar municipality, Antioquia department, Colombia.

Red Cross: 'Entire families lost lives' in landslide

02:24

Now playing

- Source: CNN

ns nepal earthquake/landslide_00000206.jpg

Landslide caused by earthquake caught on camera

01:47

Now playing

- Source: CNN

lklv udas nepal landside bodies_00003715.jpg

Dozens of bodies found buried in Nepal landslide

01:02

Now playing

- Source: CNN

nepal drone footage earthquake disaster relief orig_00011504.jpg

Major landslide blocks aid for Nepal villages

01:28

Now playing

- Source: CNN

Watch landslide knock home off its foundation

01:12

Now playing

- Source: KIRO

sot wolf california rock slide vercammen _00005521.jpg

Homes buried by tons of rocks and mud

01:04

Now playing

- Source: CNN

CNN —

Big Sur has gotten even bigger, because of a May 20 landslide.

That movement of 1 million tons of rock caused a lot of problems, such as making an important road impassable, but it also added some land to this highly scenic spot, the US Geologic Survey said in a Facebook post.

So, exactly how big was the landslide?

Using before-and-after aerial images and analysis, the USGS came up with these answers:

–13 acres of land was created.

–800 Olympic-sized swimming pools could be filled with the dirt (If that’s something you’re inclined to do).

–65 feet of dirt covered Highway 1, known as the Pacific Coast Highway.

John Madonna/AP

The highway already was closed at that spot – it has been closed almost continuously since January – and at a few other points along the dozens of miles of Big Sur coast because of landslides caused by unusually heavy winter and spring rains.

The section is 1 mile southeast of the small community of Gorda, about 60 miles south of Monterey. Authorities haven’t put out a timetable for when the road will be cleared.

CNN’s Nicole Chavez, Jason Hanna and Keith Allen contributed to this report.