BULLETIN OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF^.MERICA 

 Vol. 6, pp. 71-102 December 24, 1894 



REVIEW OF OUR KNOWLEDGE OF THE GllOLOGY OF THE 

 CALIFORNIA COAST RANGES 



UY HAROLD W. FAIRBANKS 



(Rend before the Society August 15, 1894) 

 CONTENTS. 



Page 



Scope of the paper 72 



The term Ccxist ran<res 73 



Di lie rent ge()l()<ri^^t,s' conception of the term 73 



The anther's nse of the term Coast ranges 74 



Summary of previous work 75 



Age and relations of the Coast ranges 76 



Various opinions as to age ........" 76 



Age of Coast ranges compared with that of the Sierra Nevada 77 



Phj'sical and geologic relation to Sierra Nevada 77 



Rocks of the region and their relations 78 



Tlie wholly crystalline ])asement complex 78 



Constitution and distribution 78 



CrystiiUine schists and limestone 79 



Granite 70 



Evidence as to age of the basement comi)lex 80 



Relation of basement complex to oldest noncrystalline rocks 81 



Pre-Cretaceous series 82 



Character, extent and relations 82 



Lithology of the noncrystalline portion of tlie series 83 



Jasper or phthanite 83 



Sandstone 85 



Shale and slate 86 



The semicrystalline portion of tlie series 86 



Eruptives 88 



General characteristics 88 



Alteration an o])stacle to identification 89 



Rocks of the Klamath mountains 89 



Characteristics and relation to rocks of otiier localities S9 



The nonconformity ])eneath tlie Knoxville . Si) 



Orographic movement !)() 



Its extent and time of occurrence 90 



Physical manifestations <)0 



Correlation of the upheaval 01 



XI— Bum., (iy.xi.. H,>r. Am., Vol. G. 1894. (71) 



