Geology from a Motor Car 373 



Ridge. From east to west these fields are the Torry Canyon, 

 Shiells Canyon (Montebello) , Bardsdale, and South Mountain. 

 The fields are localized on domes along the general Oak Ridge 

 anticline. 



Bardsdale and Other Oil Fields 



At Bardsdale the route turns westward along the south side 

 of Santa Clara River, allowing an excellent view of the moun- 

 tains (Santa Paula Peak, 4,959 feet; San Cayetano Mountain, 

 4,122 feet) on the opposite side. The trace of the San Caye- 

 tano fault can be easily followed as the line between the grass- 

 covered lower hills of soft Pliocene and Miocene strata and the 

 brown, hard, well-bedded Eocene section above. A fine exam- 

 ple of an alluvial fan is to be seen at the mouth of Timber Can- 

 yon. This canyon, one of the largest cut into the Pliocene on 

 the north side of Santa Clara River, has been completely filled 

 with detrital material carried down from the fault face of the 

 San Cayetano thrust. 



Six miles west of Bardsdale is the South Mountain oil field. 

 This field is one of the most picturesque in California, owing 

 to the exceedingly rugged badland type of erosion which the 

 area has undergone. A number of the locations for derricks 

 are so inaccessible that all materials for drilling were transported 

 to them by inclined railways. Excellent views of this anticlinal 

 fold are obtained as the Santa Clara fault is approached along 

 the river. (Figs. 80, 81, 82.) 



Sulphur Mountain; Santa Clara and 



Upper Ojai Valleys 



To the west of Santa Paula Creek is Sulphur Mountain, an 

 upthrust block of Miocene formations lying between two 

 faults. Beyond Sulphur Mountain are the Topatopa Moun- 

 tains, the east end of the Santa Ynez Range, lying directly back 

 of Ojai Valley. From South Mountain a good idea can be ob- 

 tained of the structure of the Santa Clara Valley, which is a 

 huge synclinal trough composed of Tertiary and Quaternary 



