California's Amazing Geology

Description

California has some of the most distinctive and unique geology in the United States. It is the only state with all three types of plate boundaries, an extraordinary history of earthquakes and volcanoes, and it has many rocks and minerals found nowhere else. The Golden State includes both the highest and lowest point in the continental US and practically every conceivable geological feature known. This book discusses not only the important geologic features of each region in California, but also the complex geologic four-dimensional puzzle of how California was assembled, beginning over 2 billion years ago. The author provides up-to-date and authoritative review of the geology and geomorphology of each geologic province, as well as recent revelations of tectonic history of California s past. There are separate chapters on some of California s distinctive geologic resources, including gold, oil, water, coastlines, and fossils. An introductory section describes basic rock and mineral types and fundamental aspects of plate tectonics, so that students and other readers can make sense of the bizarre, wild, and crazy jigsaw puzzle that is California's geological history. " Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Table of Contents Preface Acknowledgments About the Author Part I: Fundamentals of Geology 1: THE GOLDEN STATE Geographic and Geologic Provinces 2: BUILDING BLOCKS: MINERALS AND ROCKS Atoms and Elements Minerals and Rocks Igneous Rocks Sedimentary Rocks Clastic Sedimentary Rocks Chemical Sedimentary Rocks Metamorphic Rocks Pressure and Temperature Types of Metamorphic Rocks Metamorphic Grade and Facies Rock Cycle Resources Videos Animations 3: DATING CALIFORNIA: STRATIGRAPHY AND GEOCHRONOLOGY Stratigraphy Dating Rocks Geochronology Resources Videos Animations 4: THE BIG PICTURE: TECTONICS AND STRUCTURAL GEOLOGY How Are Rocks Deformed? The Way the Earth Works A Scientific Revolution Plate Tectonics Passive Margins Active Margins Transform Margins Summary Resources Videos 5: EARTHQUAKES AND SEISMOLOGY Earthquake Myths What Are Earthquakes? Measuring Earthquakes Earthquake Prediction What Should You Do in a Quake? Resources Videos Part II: Geologic Provinces of California 6: YOUNG VOLCANOES: THE CASCADES AND MODOC PLATEAU Data Geography of the Cascades and Modoc Plateau Volcanism The Cascade Range Mt. Rainier Mt. Mazama–Crater Lake Mt. Saint Helens Mt. Shasta Lassen Volcanic National Park The Modoc Plateau Summary Resources Videos 7: THE BROKEN LAND: THE BASIN AND RANGE PROVINCE Data Geography of the Basin and Range Basin and Range Geology Structure Heat Flow Seismicity Volcanism Mineralization Paleomagnetism Thin Crust Geologic History of the Basin and Range Province Precambrian Late Proterozoic–Paleozoic Late Paleozoic–Mesozoic Events Laramide Orogeny (80–40 Ma) Arc Volcanism Resumes (40–20 Ma) Late Cenozoic Extension and Faulting (20 Ma–Present) Pleistocene of the Great Basin Evaporite Minerals and Dry Lakes Rare Earth Elements Basin and Range Resources Videos 8: GOLD, GLACIERS, AND GRANITICS: THE SIERRA NEVADA Data Geography of the Sierra Nevada Sierra Nevada Geography The Sierra Batholith Roof Pendants Western Foothills Cenozoic History of the Sierras When Did the Sierras Rise? The Modern Sierras: Exfoliation and Glaciation Exfoliation Glaciation Summary Resources Videos 9: MANTLE ROCKS AND EXOTIC TERRANES: THE KLAMATH MOUNTAINS Data Geography of the Klamath Mountains Geology of the Klamath Mountains Eastern Klamath Terrane Central Metamorphic Terrane Western Paleozoic–Triassic Terrane Western Jurassic Terrane Cretaceous Granitic Intrusions Klamath Tectonic Summary Cenozoic History of the Klamaths Klamath Glaciation Summary Resources Videos 10: OIL AND AGRICULTURE: THE GREAT VALLEY Data Geography of the Great Valley Geology of the Great Valley Jurassic Ophiolite Basement Cretaceous Great Valley Group Cenozoic Deposits of the Great Valley Paleocene Eocene Oligocene Miocene Pliocene Quaternary Sutter Buttes Summary Resources Videos 11: THE SAN ANDREAS FAULT SYSTEM California Faults and Earthquakes How Often Do Quakes Occur? What Does the San Andreas Fault Look Like? Tour of the Fault Zone Salt Creek (GPS coordinates: 33° 26' 45.4. north latitude, 115° 50' 22.1. west longitude) Coachella Valley Area to Cajon Pass Cajon Pass to Palmdale Palmdale to Carrizo Plain Carrizo Plain Carrizo Plain to Parkfield Parkfield to San Francisco Backtracking the Plate Boundary Summary Resources Videos 12: MÉLANGES, GRANITICS, AND OPHIOLITES: THE COAST RANGES Data Geography of the Coast Ranges Geology of the Coast Ranges Eastern Franciscan Terrane Yolla Bolly Terrane Pickett Peak Terrane Central and Western Franciscan Terranes Central Franciscan Belt Western (or Coastal) Franciscan Belt Mount Diablo San Francisco Bay Area Cenozoic Rocks of the Eastern Franciscan Belt Salinian Block La Panza Range Santa Lucia Range Ben Lomond and Montara Mountains Point Reyes Gualala Block Western Franciscan Terrane Summary Resources Videos 13: COMPRESSION, ROTATION, UPLIFT: THE TRANSVERSE RANGES AND ADJACENT BASINS Data Geography of the Transverse Ranges The Eastern Ranges San Bernardino Mountains Little San Bernardino Mountains Orocopia Mountains The Western Ranges San Gabriel Mountains Santa Monica Mountains Santa Ynez Range Sedimentary Basins Around The Transverse Ranges Tectonics of the Transverse Ranges Summary Resources Videos Animations 14: GRANITICS, GRAVELS, GEMS, AND GEOTHERMAL SPRINGS: THE PENINSULAR RANGES AND SALTON TROUGH Data Geography of the Peninsular Ranges Prebatholithic Rocks of San Diego County Cretaceous Intrusions in San Diego County Mesozoic Rocks of Orange County Cenozoic Rocks of Orange County Cretaceous and Cenozoic of San Diego County The Salton Trough Development of the Salton Trough Salton Sea Summary Resources Videos 15: ASSEMBLING CALIFORNIA: A FOUR DIMENSIONAL JIGSAW PUZZLE In the Beginning: The Archean and Proterozoic Paleozoic History of California Early Mesozoic California in the Cretaceous The Cenozoic in California Paleocene Eocene Oligocene Miocene Pliocene–pleistocene The Last 30 Million Years of Complex Tectonics Summary Resources Videos Animations Part III: California’s Geological Resources 16: CALIFORNIA’S GOLD Thar’s Gold in Them Thar Hills! Mining Methods Gold Mineralization Summary Resources Videos 17: CALIFORNIA’S OIL AND GAS Black Gold Where Does Oil Come From? California Oil San Joaquin Basin Los Angeles Basin Ventura Basin The Monterey Formation Summary Resources Videos Other 18: CALIFORNIA’S WATER The Stuff of Life Precipitation Drainage and Runoff Groundwater Waterworks Water to Los Angeles Central Valley Water Summary Resources Videos 19: CALIFORNIA’S COASTS Surf’s Up! Life’s a Beach! Beach Erosion and Hard Stabilization Headlands, Sea Cliffs, and Coastal Uplift California Estuaries and Bays Resources Videos Animations 20: CALIFORNIA’S FOSSIL RESOURCES California’s Amazing Fossil Record Paleozoic Fossils The Precambrian–Cambrian of the Death Valley Region Early Cambrian Trilobites of the Mojave Desert Ordovician–Devonian Fossils of Mazourka Canyon, Inyo Mountains Mesozoic Fossils Triassic Ammonoids of the Inyo Mountains Great Valley Group of the Central Valley Cretaceous Fossils of San Diego County and Baja California Cretaceous Fossils of Silverado Canyon, Orange County Cenozoic Eocene Fossils of the San Diego Area Eocene Plant Fossils of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and Warner Range Oligocene Fossils Miocene Mollusks of Topanga Canyon Miocene Fossils of Sharktooth Hill, Kern County Barstow Formation, Mojave Desert Red Rock Canyon State Park, Mojave Desert Blackhawk Ranch Quarry, Mt. Diablo Pliocene San Diego Formation Anza-Borrego State Park Calistoga Petrified Forest Pleistocene Rancho La Brea Resources Index