﻿ACADEMY 
  OF 
  SCIENCES. 
  93 
  

  

  Anacapa 
  Island, 
  lying 
  in 
  the 
  throat 
  of 
  the 
  Santa 
  Barbara 
  channel, 
  and 
  directly 
  

   abreast 
  the 
  opening 
  of 
  the 
  extensive 
  valley 
  of 
  Santa 
  Clara, 
  consists 
  of 
  a 
  very 
  

   narrow 
  five 
  mile 
  ridge 
  of 
  coarse 
  dark 
  gray 
  sandslone 
  ; 
  two-thirds 
  of 
  the 
  length, 
  

   reckoned 
  from 
  the 
  eastern 
  extremity, 
  has 
  been 
  planed 
  off. 
  The 
  sides 
  are 
  per- 
  

   pendicular, 
  and 
  the 
  summit 
  of 
  the 
  eastern 
  part 
  .about 
  300 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  sea, 
  

   whilst 
  the 
  western 
  part 
  rises 
  to 
  930 
  feet 
  in 
  height, 
  but 
  the 
  line 
  of 
  the 
  level 
  of 
  

   the 
  summit 
  of 
  the 
  eastern 
  parts 
  is 
  marked 
  around 
  the 
  flanks 
  of 
  the 
  western, 
  not- 
  

   \yithstanding 
  the 
  deep 
  gulches, 
  with 
  almost 
  vertical 
  sides, 
  which 
  cut 
  from 
  the 
  

   summit 
  to 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  bluff. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  northwestern 
  flank 
  of 
  the 
  Monte 
  del 
  Buchon, 
  lying 
  between 
  San 
  Luis 
  

   Obispo 
  Bay 
  and 
  Los 
  Esteros, 
  although 
  cut 
  by 
  deep 
  gulches, 
  there 
  are 
  three 
  

   very 
  plainly 
  marked 
  terraces, 
  each 
  of 
  several 
  hundred 
  feet 
  in 
  height; 
  no 
  other 
  

   point 
  is 
  more 
  plainly 
  marked. 
  

  

  The 
  seaward 
  flanks 
  of 
  the 
  Santa 
  Lucia 
  range, 
  between 
  San 
  Simeon 
  Bay 
  and 
  

   Monterey 
  'Bay 
  have 
  occasional 
  terrace 
  markings, 
  but 
  the 
  precipitous 
  and 
  high 
  

   face 
  of 
  the 
  mountains 
  has 
  apparently 
  permitted 
  less 
  marked 
  abrasions 
  than 
  at 
  

   other 
  points, 
  or 
  subsequent 
  causes 
  have 
  obliterated 
  them. 
  This 
  range 
  contains 
  

   the 
  highest 
  peaks 
  along 
  the 
  immediate 
  coast 
  of 
  California 
  or 
  Oregon, 
  some 
  of 
  

   them 
  reaching 
  .5,700 
  feet 
  elevation. 
  

  

  At 
  Santa 
  Cruz 
  Point, 
  and 
  hence 
  to 
  the 
  northwestward, 
  a 
  pretty 
  table 
  bluff 
  

   exists. 
  'IMience 
  to 
  San 
  Francisco 
  we 
  have 
  several 
  examples 
  of 
  the 
  flat-topped 
  

   rocky 
  terrace. 
  Before 
  reaching 
  the 
  Pescadero 
  "the 
  general 
  formation 
  of 
  the 
  im- 
  

   mediate 
  seaboard 
  for 
  twelve 
  miles 
  is 
  that 
  of 
  a 
  table 
  land 
  of 
  three 
  terraces, 
  the 
  

   lowest 
  gradually 
  sloping 
  from 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  second 
  to 
  the 
  coast, 
  which 
  is 
  ex- 
  

   ceedingly 
  rocky 
  and 
  forbidding." 
  

  

  But 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  necessary 
  to 
  multiply 
  instances. 
  Passing 
  rapidly 
  to 
  the 
  north- 
  

   ward 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  Point 
  Arena, 
  in 
  latitude 
  39°, 
  I 
  have 
  examined 
  the 
  plateau 
  at 
  the 
  

   lighthouse 
  point, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  others 
  towards 
  Arena 
  Cove, 
  but 
  I 
  bring 
  the 
  

   former 
  to 
  your 
  notice, 
  because 
  a 
  photograph 
  of 
  the 
  point 
  exhibits 
  the 
  stratifica. 
  

   tion 
  as 
  almost 
  perpendicular, 
  and 
  shows 
  the 
  present 
  broken 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  

   bluff 
  and 
  low 
  water 
  level, 
  arising 
  from 
  the 
  action 
  of 
  water 
  and 
  weather. 
  The 
  

   terrace 
  at 
  the 
  Point 
  is 
  about 
  40 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  sea, 
  covered 
  with 
  a 
  very 
  thin 
  

   stratum 
  of 
  soil, 
  and 
  for 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  half 
  a 
  mile 
  a 
  base 
  line 
  was 
  measured 
  by 
  the 
  

   Coast 
  Survey 
  with 
  a 
  difference 
  of 
  level 
  on 
  the 
  plateau 
  of 
  about 
  two 
  feet; 
  the 
  

   same 
  level 
  is 
  maintained 
  among 
  the 
  timber. 
  

  

  In 
  this, 
  as 
  in 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  other 
  cases 
  I 
  have 
  mentioned, 
  the 
  rock 
  appears 
  to 
  have 
  

   been 
  absolutely 
  planed 
  off, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  different 
  degrees 
  of 
  hardness 
  of 
  the 
  stratifi- 
  

   cation 
  had 
  no 
  apparent 
  influence 
  upon 
  the 
  mechanical 
  causes 
  at 
  work. 
  Other 
  ter- 
  

   races 
  near 
  the 
  cove 
  reach 
  over 
  200 
  feet 
  elevation, 
  and 
  whilst 
  the 
  bluffs 
  for 
  miles 
  

   exhibit 
  every 
  contortion 
  of 
  stratification 
  and 
  every 
  degree 
  of 
  hardness, 
  the 
  sur- 
  

   faces 
  of 
  the 
  terraces 
  are 
  planed 
  off. 
  

  

  The 
  shores 
  of 
  Mendocino 
  Bay, 
  Points 
  Cabrillo, 
  Delgado, 
  Table 
  Bluff, 
  and 
  

   Cape 
  Orford 
  tell 
  the 
  same 
  story. 
  The 
  latter 
  bears 
  a 
  marked 
  resemblance 
  to 
  

   Points 
  Concepcion 
  and 
  Dume. 
  Three 
  miles 
  south 
  of 
  the 
  Cape 
  the 
  terrace 
  is 
  a 
  

   fine 
  blue 
  sandstone, 
  full 
  of 
  fossil 
  shells. 
  Thence 
  northward 
  the 
  signs 
  are 
  few. 
  

  

  