116 RELATIVE POSITION OF UPRAISED BEACHES. 



corresponding periods of upheaval, are connected the system of ancient terraces which are met 

 with everywhere in California. Every mountain side, every river bed, and every valley of that 

 State, presents the unmistakable evidence of a state of quiescence of the land with that of a 

 gentle flow of water over its surface during the latter portions of the Quaternary period ; a 

 period of deep estuaries and bays or straits, whose waters then reached points now nearly 2,000 

 feet above sea level ; or, in other words, when the land was so much depressed. 



Notice has been made incidentally, throughout this report, of the occurrence of these terraces, 

 in describing the localities where they exist, and it is only necessary here to collect the obser- 

 vations together so as to form a connected series. 



Commencing at the Salinas valley. Three terraces have been noticed on its bed, and one on 

 the sides of the San Antonio hills, near the mission San Miguel. On the Arroyo San Bonito, a 

 tributary of the Pajaro, which it joins near the village of San Juan, a little south of that village 

 both sides of the stream have continued terraces for four miles ; that on the east side, or right 

 bank, being 40 feet above the present valley level ; that of the west side almost as high, differ- 

 ing only in a few feet from the other ; the valley is not a mile across. This valley is one which 

 leads out from Tulare valley through the high range (Gavilan) separating them. 



The pass leading from the Salinas valley to Monterey is formed of the sandstones overlying 

 the Point Pinos granite ; at an elevation of 140 feet the summits of the low hills are flattened 

 and covered with oaks ; the terrace flat extends 100 yards back on each slope. This may have 

 some connexion with the terrace on the valley side of the San Antonio hills, which are about 20 

 feet above the level of the stream. South of the mission San Miguel, terraces again are found 

 on each side of the river bank, 70 feet above the river level. 



On the west side of the valley Santa Margarita a small terrace is found, 12 feet above the 

 valley ; on this eminence the old mission Santa Margarita is placed. There were no terraces 

 observed on the east side of this valley. 



In the valley of the Santa Maria river some of the most extensive systems of terraces were 

 found. These have already been noticed in full ; they stood on the sides of the San Jose range, 

 at the heights of 30 and 150 feet, respectively ; a terrace flat existed on the central insular 

 elevation and a high terrace on the Santa Lucia hills, above 150 feet high. Besides the hill 

 terraces, the river bottom was cut down so as to form a well marked terrace, the ancient or 

 upper bed of the river. 



On the east side of the San Jose mountains, in the Panza valley, and the elevated land of 

 Carrizo along the banks of the Estrella river, two sets of terraces were found, the lowest at 12 

 feet, and the upper 70 feet above the river level. It is remarkable how nearly the levels of the 

 upper terrace here and that of Santa Maria valley assimilate, the one being 1,650 feet above the 

 sea and the other 1,670. The difference might, perhaps, be placed to an error of observation. 

 In Santa Inez valley the river flows in a narrow bottom, 25 feet below the ancient valley, in a 

 direction toward the west ; north of the ancient bottom, a terraced land spreads along its margin 

 20 feet above it ; upon this the mission Viejo is placed, behind which (N. W.) another terrace 

 rises 100 feet above the last. These different levels are not distinctly repeated on the south side. 

 The different ancient water levels are, then, — 



25 feet — ancient river bed, above which, at 

 20 feet — 1st terrace, 

 100 feet — 2d terrace, 

 above the present river level. 



