﻿w 
  24 
  SANTA 
  MARIA 
  OIL 
  DISTRICT, 
  CALIFORNIA. 
  

  

  Where 
  steep 
  hills 
  descend 
  toward 
  the 
  coast 
  there 
  is 
  almost 
  without 
  

   exception 
  a 
  coastal 
  terrace 
  starting 
  at 
  the 
  to]) 
  of 
  the 
  sea 
  cliff, 
  which, 
  

   as 
  a 
  rule, 
  ranges 
  in 
  height 
  from 
  a 
  few 
  feet 
  to 
  more 
  than 
  50 
  feet 
  above 
  

   the 
  water. 
  Most 
  of 
  these 
  terraces 
  extend 
  up 
  to 
  an 
  elevation 
  greater 
  

   than 
  200 
  feet. 
  Some 
  of 
  them 
  have 
  left 
  traces 
  at 
  a 
  height 
  of 
  300 
  feet 
  

   or 
  more, 
  and 
  others 
  continue 
  perfect 
  to 
  this 
  altitude 
  or 
  even 
  higher. 
  

  

  GENERAL 
  TOPOGRAPHIC 
  FEATURES. 
  

  

  The 
  point 
  of 
  especial 
  interest 
  in 
  the 
  topography 
  of 
  the 
  central 
  region 
  

   between 
  the 
  two 
  bounding 
  ranges 
  is 
  its 
  characteristic 
  reflection 
  of 
  the 
  

   structure 
  of 
  the 
  formations, 
  whereas 
  in 
  the 
  mountains, 
  as 
  has 
  been 
  

   noted, 
  the 
  topographic 
  development 
  has 
  been 
  less 
  in 
  accordance 
  with 
  

   the 
  lines 
  of 
  structure. 
  An 
  anticline 
  in 
  the 
  central 
  region 
  is 
  apt 
  to 
  be 
  

   coincident 
  with 
  a 
  ridge, 
  as, 
  for 
  example, 
  in 
  the 
  long 
  ridge 
  of 
  the 
  

   Purisima 
  Hills, 
  which 
  lies 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  axis 
  of 
  a 
  broad 
  anticline. 
  

   Moreover, 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  larger 
  valleys 
  mark 
  the 
  synclinal 
  axes 
  of 
  the 
  

   broad 
  lines 
  of 
  structure 
  — 
  a 
  statement 
  illustrated 
  by 
  the 
  Santa 
  Ynez 
  

   Valley 
  in 
  parts 
  and 
  by 
  its 
  structural, 
  although 
  not 
  actual, 
  continua- 
  

   tion 
  in 
  the 
  Santa 
  Rita 
  Valley. 
  It 
  is 
  also 
  exemplified 
  by 
  the 
  upper 
  por- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  Los 
  Alamos 
  Valley 
  and 
  by 
  Harris 
  Canyon. 
  These 
  topo- 
  

   graphic 
  features 
  may 
  be 
  accounted 
  for 
  by 
  the 
  facts 
  that 
  the 
  main 
  

   movements 
  in 
  these 
  hill 
  ranges 
  have 
  been 
  gentle 
  as 
  compared 
  with 
  

   those 
  in 
  the 
  older 
  mountain 
  masses, 
  that 
  the 
  disturbances 
  giving 
  

   them 
  form 
  have 
  been 
  comparatively 
  recent, 
  and 
  that 
  deformation 
  

   has 
  not 
  gone 
  so 
  very 
  far. 
  Wherever 
  there 
  are 
  low 
  areas 
  of 
  rolling 
  

   hills 
  it 
  is 
  almost 
  sure 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  that 
  a 
  syncline 
  or 
  plunging 
  fold 
  has 
  

   given 
  rise 
  to 
  structural 
  depressions 
  in 
  which 
  deposits 
  of 
  soft 
  sand 
  pro- 
  

   ducing 
  low 
  topographic 
  forms 
  have 
  been 
  laid 
  down. 
  

  

  The 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  different 
  formations 
  shows 
  its 
  influence 
  on 
  the 
  

   topography. 
  The 
  areas 
  of 
  serpentine 
  with 
  associated 
  Franciscan 
  rocks 
  

   have 
  irregular 
  broken 
  surfaces 
  with 
  many 
  outcrops 
  and 
  usually 
  an 
  old, 
  

   well-worn 
  appearance. 
  The 
  dominantly 
  sandstone 
  and 
  shale 
  terranes 
  

   described 
  under 
  the 
  headings 
  " 
  pre-Monterey 
  rocks" 
  and 
  "Vaqueros, 
  

   Sespe, 
  and 
  Tejon 
  formations, 
  undifferentiated," 
  do 
  not 
  give 
  rise 
  to 
  a 
  

   very 
  distinctive 
  topography. 
  They 
  form 
  a 
  succession 
  of 
  ridges 
  and 
  

   V-shaped 
  canyons 
  of 
  moderate 
  relief 
  and 
  comparative 
  regularity. 
  In 
  

   many 
  places 
  the 
  truncated 
  edges 
  of 
  the 
  tilted 
  strata 
  form 
  steep, 
  rough 
  

   strike 
  slopes. 
  The 
  Monterey 
  shale 
  produces 
  the 
  forms 
  of 
  highest 
  relief 
  

   in 
  this 
  region, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  forms 
  of 
  low 
  relief, 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  amount 
  

   of 
  folding 
  that 
  has 
  taken 
  place 
  in 
  it 
  and 
  to 
  its 
  hardness. 
  The 
  

   brittle 
  shale 
  closely 
  folded 
  gives 
  rise 
  to 
  sharp 
  ridges, 
  many 
  of 
  them 
  

   serrate, 
  with 
  steep, 
  rocky 
  flanks, 
  Ridges 
  of 
  highly 
  tilted 
  shale 
  are 
  

   shown 
  in 
  PI. 
  VI, 
  B 
  (p. 
  46). 
  The 
  lower 
  folds 
  produce 
  hills 
  of 
  gentle 
  

   incline 
  and 
  long 
  unbroken 
  ridges, 
  in 
  places 
  parallel 
  with 
  the 
  strike 
  

  

  