254 Advent^lres in Scenery 



ranges of southern California the Coast Ranges are continuous, 

 though somewhat brokenly, to the Siskiyou Mountains of 

 northern California and Oregon, thence as the Coast Range 

 Olympics of western Washington, and the Coast Range (Island 

 Ranges) of western British Columbia, to the great mountains 

 of Alaska. Whether or not the igneous granitic rocks that so 

 extensively underlie and form the bed-rock or cores of the 

 ranges represent one great earth upheaval that embraced the 

 entire western side of the continent may only with some hesita- 

 tion be asserted. But that a great earth convulsion, or series of 

 convulsions, occurred so far as is known probably in Jurassic 

 time seems established. That tremendous disturbances have 

 occurred that have resulted in the fracturing of the crust of 

 the earth and the uplifting of mighty mountain ranges by the 

 intrusion of molten rock as vast batholiths, now cooled to crys- 

 talline granite, there can be no question. What we do not know 

 about the geologic activities involved in the history of the earth 

 during the ages would make a vast library as compared with the 

 little volume of what we know. Diligence in the study of the 

 earth and inquiry into earth processes will add to our knowl- 

 edge. California is a State of exceedingly complex geology. If 

 any region of the United States has a more complicated geo- 

 logic history the writer does not know of it. Because the geol- 

 ogy of California is complicated it is interesting. But it is 

 interesting more because of the bearing that the great geologic 

 events have upon human activities and the progress of civiliza- 

 tion upon the earth. The industries of Agriculture, Forestry, 

 Petroleum, and Mining of California are determined by geology. 

 The great harbors of the coast owe their existence to geologic 

 structure. The fact that the geology of California is compli- 

 cated determines the wide diversity of activities that char- 

 acterize the State. 



