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  PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  CALIFORNIA 
  

  

  The 
  coast 
  line 
  just 
  south 
  of 
  the 
  boundary 
  of 
  California 
  and 
  Lower 
  California 
  

   exhibits 
  a 
  single 
  terrace 
  stretching 
  some 
  distance 
  southward. 
  

  

  Northward, 
  between 
  Point 
  Loma 
  and 
  San 
  Juan 
  Capistrano, 
  a 
  broad 
  table 
  

   land 
  of 
  100 
  to 
  300 
  feet 
  elevation 
  and 
  many 
  miles 
  long, 
  is 
  familiar 
  to 
  all 
  who 
  

   have 
  traversed 
  that 
  country 
  by, 
  stage 
  ; 
  at 
  certain 
  points 
  there 
  are, 
  over 
  the 
  pla- 
  

   teau, 
  gravel 
  deposits 
  of 
  peculiar 
  shape, 
  for 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  in 
  vain 
  endeavored 
  to 
  

   find 
  a 
  cause 
  in 
  the 
  movement 
  of 
  water. 
  Their 
  low 
  rounding 
  summits 
  are 
  about 
  

   two 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  general 
  level, 
  from 
  twelve 
  to 
  twenty 
  feet 
  in 
  extent, 
  and 
  lie 
  

   contiguous 
  to 
  each 
  other 
  over 
  occasional 
  large 
  areas, 
  ceasing 
  suddenly 
  and 
  giv- 
  

   ing 
  place 
  to 
  the 
  very 
  flat 
  table. 
  The 
  fullest 
  effect 
  of 
  their 
  shape 
  is 
  seen 
  at 
  sun- 
  

   rise, 
  with 
  the 
  long 
  shadows 
  filling 
  the 
  intervening 
  depressions. 
  

  

  On 
  passing 
  San 
  Pedro 
  hill 
  the 
  lines 
  of 
  the 
  terraces 
  were 
  peculiarly 
  well 
  

   marked 
  by 
  the 
  brighter 
  lines 
  of 
  gay 
  flowers 
  seen 
  from 
  seaward 
  on 
  their 
  compar- 
  

   atively 
  level 
  surfaces. 
  The 
  traces 
  of 
  these 
  terraces 
  are 
  cut 
  in 
  rock, 
  and 
  are 
  

   readily 
  traced 
  in 
  the 
  detailed 
  topographical 
  map 
  by 
  the 
  Coast 
  Survey. 
  The 
  

   view 
  made 
  by 
  me 
  shows 
  five 
  principal 
  terraces 
  which 
  the 
  contour 
  sheet 
  of 
  topo- 
  

   graphy 
  indicates. 
  

  

  The 
  lowest 
  terrace 
  is 
  about 
  65 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  sea 
  ; 
  2d, 
  140 
  ; 
  3d, 
  260 
  ; 
  4th, 
  

   360 
  ; 
  5th, 
  580 
  ; 
  several 
  smaller 
  ones 
  about 
  700 
  and 
  800, 
  and 
  other 
  especially 
  

   marked 
  ones 
  at 
  900, 
  1,000 
  and 
  1,200 
  feet. 
  The 
  hill 
  itself 
  is 
  rounded, 
  and 
  at 
  its 
  

   highest 
  point 
  is 
  1,478 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  sea. 
  The 
  five 
  principal 
  terraces 
  are 
  on 
  the 
  

   southwest 
  face, 
  but 
  the 
  greater 
  number 
  on 
  the 
  northwest 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  hill. 
  

  

  The 
  "mesa" 
  lying 
  fifteen 
  miles 
  to 
  the 
  northwest 
  of 
  Point 
  Vincente, 
  is 
  a 
  capital 
  

   example 
  of 
  the 
  flat 
  terrace, 
  and 
  is 
  reproduced 
  on 
  the 
  coast 
  line 
  under 
  the 
  south- 
  

   ern 
  flank 
  of 
  the 
  Santa 
  Monica 
  range, 
  at 
  a 
  point 
  about 
  twenty 
  miles 
  westward 
  of 
  

   Los 
  Angeles. 
  At 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Arroyo 
  Santa 
  Monica, 
  the 
  table, 
  several 
  

   miles 
  in 
  extent, 
  has 
  an 
  elevation 
  of 
  about 
  90 
  feet, 
  and 
  terminates 
  as 
  a 
  bold 
  rocky 
  

   bluff" 
  on 
  the 
  sea. 
  Within 
  this 
  arroyo 
  are 
  several 
  smaller 
  terraces 
  which 
  may 
  

   have 
  been 
  formed 
  by 
  water. 
  

  

  Point 
  Dume, 
  lying 
  about 
  25 
  miles 
  W. 
  N.W. 
  from 
  Point 
  Vincente, 
  is 
  another 
  

   well 
  defined 
  table, 
  where 
  a 
  projecting 
  spur 
  from 
  the 
  mountains 
  has 
  been 
  planed 
  

   off 
  for 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  miles, 
  whilst 
  towards 
  the 
  extremity 
  a 
  deeper 
  grooving 
  has 
  

   been 
  ploughed 
  out 
  and 
  left 
  the 
  head 
  as 
  a 
  dome-shaped 
  point. 
  

  

  At 
  San 
  Buenaventura, 
  and 
  hence 
  toward 
  Point 
  Concepcion, 
  we 
  find 
  numer- 
  

   ous 
  narrow 
  rocky 
  plateaus, 
  but 
  most 
  markedly 
  exhibited 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Point 
  

   Concepcion, 
  where 
  the 
  bluff 
  exhibits 
  every 
  inclination 
  of 
  stratification; 
  but 
  the 
  

   top 
  is 
  flat 
  and 
  comparatively 
  smooth. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  counterpart 
  of 
  Point 
  Duine, 
  but 
  

   more 
  extended. 
  

  

  Among 
  the 
  islands 
  of 
  the 
  Santa 
  Barbara 
  Channel, 
  San 
  Clemente 
  and 
  San 
  

   Nicolas 
  are 
  both 
  long, 
  comparatively 
  flat 
  topped 
  mountains 
  ; 
  but 
  the 
  principal 
  

   feature 
  of 
  the 
  southern 
  group 
  is 
  the 
  remarkable 
  parallelism 
  of 
  their 
  longer 
  axes, 
  

   and 
  also 
  of 
  the 
  channels 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  cut 
  through 
  the 
  group 
  lying 
  off 
  the 
  

   Santa 
  Barbara 
  shores 
  ; 
  and 
  this 
  parallelism 
  is 
  continued 
  in 
  the 
  coastline 
  of 
  the 
  

   Santa 
  Lucia 
  mountains, 
  Mount 
  Buchon, 
  Point 
  Arguello 
  to 
  Concepcion 
  and 
  San 
  

   Pedro 
  hills. 
  

  

  