California Geology

I. California Resources A.Agriculture Citrus fruits, dates, Vegetables Grapes

Volcanic soil erosion, is a main reason for fertile soil in California Mild climate in the central valley and coastal mountains also helps crops grow.

B. Minerals This is the massive gold-bearing quartz vein known as the "Mother Lode". Highway 108 at Woods Creek, west of Jamestown, CA 1.Past volcanoes laid the quartz rock for CA gold in the Jurassic batholith formation. Earthquakes and erosion revealed the ore

California's first gold rush was here, just north of San Fernando, in Mexican days.

In addition to gold and mercury, 2. CA minerals include copper, silver and iron. These pictures are a mercury mine and copper ore.

Borax mined in Death Valley was originally transported to market in heavy wagons drawn by 20 mules. Harmony Borax Mill, Death Valley NM, CA 3. Salts are also produced in CA

Granite used in many of California's best known public buildings was quarried in the Sierra foothills near Raymond. Raymond, Madera County, CA Charcoal made in these kilns near Death Valley was used to smelt lead ore in the mines at Darwin. near Wildrose, Death Valley NM, CA (1969).

C. Water CA’s natural water is from run-off and ground water. 2/3 of CA water comes from the Sacramento River, the San Juaquin River and the tributaries from the San Francisco Bay

Southern California depends on the CA State water project moving water from the San Francisco Bay area to areas of increasing population Coastal Areas get their water from groundwater. The runoff from the Coastal Range provides 90% of this water.

Palm Springs' lush golf courses are made possible by its abundant groundwater resources. Palm Springs, CA Southern California also gets water from the Colorado River. The Colorado River Compact of 1922 provides for 4.4 million acre feet of water to be piped to CA to recharge their underground water storage.

Central California also gets water from the SF bay area through the Central Valley water project to support it’s agricultural industry. This imported water joins the Sierra Nevada runoff water in an underground aquifer

This dam blocks the Tuolumne River and floods Hetch-Hetchy Valley. O'Shaugnessy Dam, Tuolumne River, Yosemite NP, CA Hetch-Hetchy Reservoir stores water for the San Francisco system. Hetch-Hetchy Reservoir, Yosemite NP, CA

Even though 60% of CA water used by people in CA comes from the northern part of the state, it is the southern population that uses over half of the water. Most of CA’s residential water is for landscaping and not drinking or household use.

D. Oil/Natural Gas One of the more prolific oil and natural gas producing regions in the world: Los Angeles Basin, Bakersfield, and Santa Barbara- Ventura Channel The Westside oil fields in the southern San Joaquin Valley once bristled with wooden oil derricks and pumps like these. Buena Vista Hills, north of Taft, CA

In addition hydroelectric power, wind energy, nuclear energy and geothermal energy are all generated in California Shifting plates have helped create CA’s oil, natural gas reserves and geothermal reserves.

II. Geology A. California Geological Regions B. Timeline of Region FormationCalifornia Geological Regions

Basement Rocks laid down in ancient seas Nevada was edge of land until a volcanic island arc much like Japan today collided with our western coast. These Cascadia mountains which were located where the present north west corner of CA is located, began to erode and fill in the ocean to form CA Ancestral Sierra mountains formed by large batholiths of granite. Ocean sediments were deposited and thrust up against mountains Pre Jurassic Jurassic 155 MYA Cretaceous 130 MYA CA under shallow sea except Sierra Mountains. Paleocene Eocene 75 MYA Lava erupts in Klamath Mt Ranges due to subduction CA land moist and swampy

Oligocene Epoch 38 MYA Seas shrink and CA not underwater. CA mostly hills and plains Early Sierras are eroded away and sediment fills Great Valley Mountains rise on West side and cut off moisture Sierra Nevada tilt and thrust up Fissure eruptions of lava occur in Modoc Plateau Volcanoes in Central CA because of Pacific plate subduction Great Central Valley under sea Mountains in both Coast Range and Sierras are elevated Sierras are tilted up on eastern side and slope down into the central valley Volcanic action in the northern Sierra and Northern CA covers much of the land with lava and mud flows Miocene Epoch 28 MYA Pliocnece Epoch 9 MYA

Glaciers cover the higher eastern mountains four times Lakes are formed in eastern CA Active faulting/folding and mountain building, especially in the Basin and Range Coastal Ranges are still lifting Large lakes in the east dry up and leave large salt beds San Francisco Bay is formed Continued volcanic eruptions in the NE Pleistocene Epoch 1 MYA Recent Epoch 22,000 years ago/today

III. Issues Today A.San Andreas Fault a large strike/slip fault is a plate division, predicted to break at any time. B.Pacific Plate is moving northwest interacts with the North American Continental Plate.

B.Erosion – 1. Gravity and movement of soil particles from water and wind Can cause landslides Example: San Francisco Delta Area, Landau Sand Area.

C.Landslides are caused by erosion, earthquakes and heavy rainfall. Examples are house falling off the hills above beaches in SCA.

D. Pollution