218 University of California Publications in Geology [Vol. 9 



structure and the lithology of the formation. The name "Wildcat 

 Series" was applied to the beds, from their typical development 

 in the Wildcat country south of Perndale. A collection of fossils 

 made by Professor Lawson, principally from the middle and upper 

 portions, and identified by Dr. J. C. Merriam, warranted the deter- 

 mination of these beds as Pliocene. 



In 1895 George H. Ashley published an account of the Neocene 

 stratigraphy of the Santa Cruz Mountains. 8 In this paper he re- 

 viewed the work of previous writers and gave the results of his 

 own investigations, which appeared to show that the beds, now 

 known as the Purisima Formation, were very closely related to the 

 Merced Series at Seven Mile Beach, but contained more of the 

 Miocene forms and were therefore placed between the Miocene and 

 the Pliocene and were called the "Transition Beds." Ashley also 

 suggested the possibility that the lower portion of the Merced Series 

 at Seven Mile Beach might have been faulted down, and that 

 this faulted portion was the equivalent of his "Transition Beds" 

 south of Halfmoon Bay. He did not discover any widespread un- 

 conformity between the Monterey and the Merced Series, and was 

 of the opinion that sedimentation was continuous from the begin- 

 ning of Monterey time to the end of the Merced, the disturbances 

 which had effected this region taking place at the close of Merced 

 time. The uppermost Merced was placed in the Pliocene because of 

 the degree of folding to which it had been subjected and because it 

 was covered by later sediments, the terrace formations. He consid- 

 ered that the evidence was insufficient to establish an unconformity 

 between the upper and the lower portions of the Merced, although it 

 was apparent that either faulting had taken place or an unconformity 

 existed in the neighborhood of Thornton Station. 



The "Topographic Development of the Klamath Mountains" 10 

 published by J. S. Diller in 1892 contains a condensed description 

 of the Tertiary and Quarternary formations occurring along the 

 coast of Oregon and California from the mouth of the Coquille 

 River to Cape Mendocino. The stratigraphy and the lithology 

 of the Wildcat Series was amply described. Inserted with Diller 's 

 description are notes by Dr. W. H. Dall concerning the age of the 

 beds. The Wild Cat was doubtfully considered upper Miocene, being 



s Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2nd series, vol. 5, 1895. 

 ii' U. S. Geol. Surv. Bulletin, 196, p. 30, 1902. 



