G E O L O G Y O F S A N T A

B A R B A R AB Y T O M M Y A N D M I R A N D A

Q U E S T I O N S B E I N G A S K E D A N D

H Y P O T H E S I S

• What are the processes that formed Santa Barbara

and how do the present rocks and topography of the

area give us an answer to our geological past and

future?

• EROSION OF PARENT ROCK CREATED SEDIMENTRY

ROCK LAYERS THAT WERE UPLIFTED BY THE

COMPRESSION OF THE AMERICAN PLATE AND THE

PACIFIC PLATE.

K E Y T E R M S O F G E O L O G Y

E N V I R O N M E N T O F D E P O S I T I O N : W H E R E T H E R O C K W A S F O R M E D

P A R E N T R O C K : T H E O R I G I N A L R O C K F R O M W H I C H S O M E T H I N G E L S E W A S F O R M E D .

E R O S I O N : T H E P R O C E S S B Y W H I C H T H E S U R F A C E O F T H E E A R T H I S W O R N A W A Y

B Y T H E A C T I O N O F W A T E R , G L A C I E R S , W I N D S , W A V E S , E T C .

P L A T E T E C T O N I C S : A T H E O R Y O F G L O B A L T E C T O N I C S I N W H I C H T H E L I T H O S P H E R E

I S D I V I D E D I N T O A N U M B E R O F C R U S T A L P L A T E S , E A C H O F W H I C H M O V E S O N

T H E P L A S T I C A S T H E N O S P H E R E M O R E O R L E S S I N D E P E N D E N T L Y T O C O L L I D E

W I T H , S L I D E U N D E R , O R M O V E P A S T A D J A C E N T P L A T E S .

F I N D I N G E V I D E N C E O F O U R P A S T

( M E T H O D S )

• COLLECTING SAMPLES OF

DIFFERENT ROCK

FORMATIONS AT FOUR

DIFFERENT POINTS

• EXAMINING THE GRAIN SIZE

AND TYPES OF CLAST THE

FORMATIONS ARE MADE OF

• FINDING NORMAL AND

REVERSE FAULTINGLOMA ALTA DRIVE AT SANTA BARBARA CITY COLLEGE

P A R E N T R O C K O F L O C A L

F O R M A T I O N S

• CREATED FROM UPWELLING MAGMA ON AN

ANCIENT CONTINENTAL ARC NEAR PRESENT DAY

SAN DIEGO

• MAGMA COOLED CREATING MANY GRANITE

PLUTONS OR BATHOLITH

• GRANITE ERODED, LEAVING BEHIND PARTICALS OF

MANILY QUATZ AND OTHER LOOSE MINERALS TO BE

DEPOSITED DOWNSTREAM

• Coldwater Formation

Sandstone

• Sespe Formation

Sandstone

• Alluvium Deposits on Santa

Barbara City College

• Monterey Formation Shale

SAMPLE ROCK FORMATIONS IN SANTA BARBARA

D A T A R O C K C O L L E C T I O N

• M O N T E R E Y S H A L E : F I N E L Y C O N S I L I D A T E D S I L T A N D C L A Y

R O C K R A N G I N G F R O M O . O 6 2 5 M M A N D S M A L L E R . D E P E N D I N G

O N L O C A T I O N , M A Y A L S O C O N T A I N D I A T O M S A N D O T H E R

C I L I A T E F O S S I L S D U E T O S U B M A R I N E D E P O S I T I O N

M A R I N E : E A R L Y T O L A T E P L E I S T O C E N E

L O C A T I O N : W E S T O F S T A I R S A T M E S A L A N E , E L C A P I T A N

S T A T E B E A C H

• SANTA BARBARA ALLUVIAL DEPOSITS: LOOSE

UNCONSILIDATED GRAVEL OR DEBRIS SHAPED BY AND

DEPOSITED BY INTERMEDIATE HIGH ENERGY WATER

FLOW; CONSIST OF PEBBLES COBBLES AND BOULDERS

FROM 2MM IN SIZE AND UP

• NON MARINE; PLEISTOCENE

• LOCATION: WEST SANTA BARBARA CITY COLLEGE

PARKING LOT

R O C K D A T A C O N T I N U E D

• Sespe Formation: non marine origin, consisting

predominantly of sandstones and conglomerates

laid down in a riverine, shoreline, and floodplain

environment, 2mm in size and up

• Non marine; predominantly Oligocene Age

• Location: Rattlesnake Canyon at Gibralter Road

• Coldwater Sandstone: Hard, tan, Bedded arkosic

sandstone with minor inter beds of greenish gray

siltstone, local oyster beds common in the rock,

with grains between 0.065mm in size and up

• marine, late Eocene

• Location: Tunnel Trail at Seven Falls

• Farralon Plate completely subducts underneath the North

American plate ending a long period of convergence

• Pacific Plate collides with North American plate creating a

right lateral transform plate boundary

• expansion of the Earth’s crust occurs as the Santa

Barbara area is pull along with the Pacific Plate North

Toward Alaska

• Santa Barbara rotates and compresses with northern

landmasses resulting in reverse faulting and uplift

L O C A L S O U T H E R N C A L I F O R N I A

T E C T O N I C S

Lavigia Fault, Elings Park looking west

Mesa Fault, Elings Park looking east

R E V E R S E F A U L T I N G

• A fault in which the hanging

wall is uplifted compared to

the foot wall

• occurs in areas where two

rock units are forced together

because of compression

C O M P R E S S I O N A N D R E V E R S E F A U L T I N G

• R O C K U N I T S P U S H I N G U P A G A I N S T E A C H

O T H E R F R O M T H E R O T A T I O N O F T H E S A N T A

B A R B A R A L A N D M A S S C A U S E D C O M P R E S S I O N

A N D U P L I F T

• T H I S U P L I F T C R E A T E S R E V E R S E F A U L T I N G ,

T H U S L E A D I N G T O E L E V A T E D A R E A S S U C H

A S S A N T A B A R B A R A M E S A , S A N T A Y N E Z

M O U N T A I N S , H O P E R A N C H , U C S B A N D T H E

C H A N N E L I S L A N D S

• L A N D S C A P E L A T E R S H A P E D B Y E R O S I O N

W H Y D O E S L O C A L G E O L O G Y M A T T E R

T O Y O U

• The type of soil/ Bedrock you home Build on

• Location of near by geological hazards

• Urban Planning of our local communities