COAST LINE LOS ANGELES TO SAN FRANCISCO. 121 



stone. This part of the range, which has been little studied, contains 

 some metalliferous deposits, especially ores of quicksilver. 



At milepost 147 the railroad leaves Salinas River and surmounts 

 a terrace which borders the river for some miles. The deposits form- 

 ing this terrace are comparable with those near San Lucas. 



Soledad (so-lay-dahd^, Spanish for solitude) is built on a fertile plain 

 which forms part of the terrace just mentioned. From the town may 



be had fine views of the valley and borderin^: moun- 



* tains, and the vicinity affords some delightful drives. 



Elevation ISO feet, Across tho river are the ruins of the mission church 



L^Ang^ei!L^33i^miies ^^^^^t in 1791 • A stage runs from Soledad southwest 



8 miles to Paraiso Hot Springs, at an altitude of 1,400 



feet in the Santa Lucia Range. About 14 miles northeast of Soledad 

 are The Pinnacles (PI. XXX, p. 124), picturesque masses that have 

 been sculptured by erosion from some rock whose character and geo- 

 logic age have not been ascertained. Tho prominent peaks 6 or 7 

 miles east of Soledad are the Chalone Peaks, which are composed of 

 marbles and other crystalline rocks that are probal)ly older than any 

 others in the Coast Range. North of them is an area of rocks in which 

 copper and quicksilver occur. Flanking these peaks and extending 

 northward along the northeast side of Salinas Valley are some liills 

 of moderate height composed partly of sandstone. 



On the west side of the Salinas Valley, opposite Soledad and 

 Camphora, are some old alluvial fans that merge with the terrace 

 deposits along the river. Recent erosion has cut trenches in some of 

 these fans, but as a rule they stand out as nearly perfect examples of 

 this type of stream deposit. 



Along this part of Sahnas Valley the same contact observed farther 

 south persists; the mountain slope on the northeast is comparatively 

 gentle, but that on the southwest is steep. The southwest slope, as 

 previously noted, is probably a fault scarp or fault cliff, worn back 



and cut into by erosion. 



Beyond Gonzales (golm-sah'lace), in the neighbor- 

 Gonzales. j^^^^ ^^f Chualar (chu-a-lar'), the valley gradually 



Elevation 125 feet. -vridcns northwcstward, toward Monterey Bay. Great 

 iTlZ^'S'^es. quantities of alfalfa hay and grain are produced in 



this vicinity- The terraces found all along the Sahnas 

 Chualar. Valley from Templeton northward are here well devel- 



Eievation 100 feet. opcd and grow broadcr toward tho mouth of the 



Los Angeles 340 miles, . 



river. 



Salinas. The town of Sahnas (Spanish for salt pits) is the cen- 



Eievation 41 feet. tcr of a large beet-sugar industry. Besides sugar beets. 

 Population 3,736. beans are extensively grown in this region, especially 

 Los Angeles 357 miles. ^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^^^ Opposito Salmas the river flows at 



the extreme west edge of the valley. 



