it 
Se 
explorers. For nearly a 
. Terti 
Whitney's Geology of California. 241 
With regard to the entire region south of the bay of Monte- 
rey, and belonging to the coast ranges, less can be said, because 
less is known, either geographically or geologically. .A mere re- 
connoissance has been made of a part of it, while of large areas 
we are wholly in the dark, as neither the explorations of the 
Geological Survey, nor of other exploring expeditions have 
there penetrated. We will notice, however, some of the more 
Salient features, 
Santa Lucia chain.—Beginning at Point Pinos, at the southern 
entrance of the bay of Monterey, commences another chain that 
follows the coast closely, for about a hundred miles, to Estero 
Bay, along a curve, which continued carrics the chain from the 
Coast at this point more to the eastward, until it connects with 
other chains which extend on in an unbroken series until they 
Le 
* . 
portions of the range, and spurs that branch from it, take local 
names, 
_The chain attains a width of 20 to 25 miles for a considerable 
distance, 
hundred miles, sinks directly into the ocean and is peculiarly 
or thirty miles, and is known to form large masses in the interior 
the chain. For this portion, the rocks consist of this granite, 
metamorphic Tertiary, and unaltered Miocene and Pliocene stra- 
‘a, and in places limited eruptive rock. No Cretaceous beds 
have been found to exist here, but they are believed to occur far- 
ther within the chain. 
its west side is a high range of hills known as the Polo Scrito 
hills, made up of metamorphic rock, including gneiss, dipping 
northeast, and containing some granite. 
The hichest part of the chain lies near lat. 36° N., where the 
mountains attain a height supposed to be 5, os 
away from the main chain, but 
