﻿GEOGRAPHY 
  AND 
  TOPOGRAPHY. 
  21 
  

  

  as 
  high 
  as 
  1,600 
  feet. 
  A 
  common 
  height 
  for 
  summits 
  in 
  these 
  hills 
  

   is 
  1,200 
  feet. 
  

  

  Wide, 
  shallow, 
  filled 
  valleys 
  between 
  the 
  rolling 
  summits 
  are 
  char- 
  

   acteristic 
  of 
  the 
  Solomon 
  Hills, 
  the 
  soft 
  valley 
  filling 
  being 
  as 
  a 
  rule 
  

   sharply 
  cut 
  along 
  a 
  meandering 
  course 
  by 
  a 
  miniature 
  stream 
  gorge 
  

   that 
  has 
  been 
  rapidly 
  eroded. 
  Many 
  of 
  these 
  recent 
  channels 
  are 
  

   deeper 
  than 
  they 
  are 
  wide. 
  In 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  La 
  Zaca 
  Creek 
  on 
  the 
  

   east 
  the 
  Solomon 
  Hills 
  merge 
  with 
  these 
  foothills, 
  and 
  the 
  general 
  

   topographic 
  features 
  are 
  continued 
  in 
  them. 
  The 
  Solomon 
  Hills 
  

   owe 
  their 
  low 
  outlines 
  largely 
  to 
  their 
  structural 
  development 
  rather 
  

   than 
  to 
  their 
  topographic 
  maturity. 
  It 
  has 
  been 
  an 
  area 
  of 
  building 
  

   up 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  of 
  wearing 
  away, 
  and 
  the 
  original 
  topography, 
  which 
  

   reflected 
  characteristically 
  the 
  folds 
  of 
  the 
  sedimentary 
  formations, 
  

   has 
  been 
  obscured 
  by 
  further 
  deposition 
  and 
  by 
  the 
  filling 
  of 
  valleys, 
  

   in 
  addition 
  to 
  alteration 
  by 
  erosion. 
  

  

  LOS 
  ALAMOS 
  VALLEY. 
  

  

  The 
  incline 
  of 
  the 
  Solomon 
  Hills 
  on 
  the 
  south 
  is 
  gradual 
  down 
  to 
  

   the 
  Los 
  Alamos 
  Valley. 
  This 
  valley 
  extends 
  from 
  the 
  region 
  where 
  

   the 
  Solomon 
  and 
  Purisima 
  hills 
  coalesce 
  in 
  the 
  foothills 
  of 
  the 
  San 
  

   Rafael 
  Range 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  about 
  27 
  miles 
  to 
  the 
  coast, 
  in 
  a 
  direction 
  

   about 
  N. 
  75° 
  W. 
  This, 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  noted, 
  is 
  much 
  more 
  westerly 
  

   than 
  the 
  trend 
  of 
  the 
  Santa 
  Maria 
  Valley. 
  The 
  Los 
  Alamos 
  Valley 
  

   separates 
  the 
  two 
  basin 
  ranges 
  — 
  the 
  Solomon 
  and 
  Purisima 
  hills 
  — 
  

   and 
  is 
  a 
  drainage 
  feature 
  of 
  them 
  alone. 
  The 
  average 
  altitude 
  at 
  the 
  

   summit 
  of 
  its 
  watershed 
  is 
  from 
  1,000 
  to 
  1,300 
  feet; 
  and 
  the 
  highest 
  

   elevation 
  that 
  the 
  watershed 
  reaches 
  anywhere 
  is 
  less 
  than 
  2,000 
  feet. 
  

   All 
  the 
  water 
  from 
  the 
  higher 
  surrounding 
  regions 
  that 
  drains 
  into 
  

   the 
  Santa 
  Maria 
  basin 
  region 
  escapes 
  either 
  into 
  the 
  Santa 
  Maria 
  

   Valley 
  on 
  the 
  north 
  or 
  the 
  Santa 
  Ynez 
  Valley 
  on 
  the 
  south. 
  

  

  PURISIMA 
  HILLS. 
  

  

  The 
  second 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  hill 
  ranges 
  is 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  Purisima 
  Hills, 
  which 
  

   forms 
  a 
  definitely 
  outlined 
  structural 
  and 
  topographic 
  unit 
  spring- 
  

   ing 
  from 
  the 
  plateau 
  region 
  about 
  Santa 
  Ynez 
  and 
  the 
  foothills 
  of 
  the 
  

   San 
  Rafael 
  Range 
  in 
  the 
  vertex 
  of 
  the 
  triangular 
  basin. 
  It 
  rises 
  at 
  

   that 
  point 
  in 
  the 
  shape 
  of 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  strike 
  ridges 
  which 
  run 
  north- 
  

   westward 
  and 
  then 
  curve 
  around 
  to 
  the 
  west, 
  coming 
  together. 
  For 
  

   most 
  of 
  the 
  distance 
  to 
  the 
  ocean 
  beyond 
  this 
  junction 
  the 
  range 
  con- 
  

   sists 
  of 
  a 
  single 
  ridge 
  running 
  parallel 
  to 
  the 
  Los 
  Alamos 
  Valley. 
  On 
  

   the 
  north 
  it 
  sends 
  out 
  lateral 
  ridges 
  that 
  drop 
  off 
  rather 
  abruptly 
  into 
  

   the 
  Los 
  Alamos 
  Valley. 
  These 
  ridges 
  are 
  separated 
  by 
  fairly 
  sharp 
  

   V-shaped 
  valleys, 
  although 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  valleys 
  have 
  sides 
  of 
  more 
  

   gentle 
  slope 
  and 
  filled 
  bottoms. 
  A 
  striking 
  topographic 
  feature 
  is 
  a 
  

  

  