1916] Martin: Pliocene of Middle and Northern California 231 



Golden Gate. This area although very limited is of importance 

 as it shows the relations between the Merced and the under- 

 lying Purisima. The two formations at this locality are con- 

 formable. The strata of both dip slightly toward the northeast, 

 the strike being north and northwest. The beds consist of soft 

 rusty-yellow and brownish-gray medium-grained sandstone with very 

 small amounts of gravel and clay. In the upper horizon the soft 

 material is interstratified with numerous hard calcareous layers 

 which are abundantly fossiliferous. In the underlying Purisima 

 the fossils are imbedded in concretions instead of in the calcareous 

 layers as in the Merced. This is the most noticeable lithological 

 difference between the two horizons, the greater portion of the 

 sediments being similar in texture and color in the two sets of beds. 



The following fossils, which were collected from the Merced 

 horizon at Aho Nuevo Bay, show the close connection with the 

 beds at Seven Mile Beach : 



Pelecypoda Bathytoma carpenteriana Gabb 



Acila castrensis Hinds Chrysodomus stantoni Arnold 



Area trilineata Conrad Crepidula grandis Midd. 



Cardium meekianum Gabb Crepidula princeps Conrad 



Cryptomya californica Conrad Drillia mercedensis Martin 



Macoma nasuta Conrad Epitonium indianorum Carpenter 



Marcia oregonensis Conrad Margarita pupilla Gould 



Modiolus rectus Conrad Nassa moraniana Martin 



Panomya ampla Dall Nassa mendica Gould 



Panope generosa Gould Neverita, sp. 



Paphia staleyi Gabb Olivella biplicata Sby. 



Paphia tenerrima Carpenter Olivella intorta Carpenter 



Solen sicarius Gould Olivella pedroana Conrad 



Schizothaerus pajaroanus Conrad Cirripedia 



Gasteropoda Balanus, sp. 



Astyris riehthofeni Gabb 



MERCED OF PILLAR POINT 



Another important outcrop of Merced occurs at Pillar Point 

 in the extreme northwest corner of the Santa Cruz Quadrangle. 

 Here the beds consist of dark-brown shale interbedded with coarse 

 brown and gray medium-grained sandstone. The strata are tilted 

 at various angles and show the results of considerable distortion. 

 These beds appear to be connected, beneath the bay, with those 

 exposed along the shore near the mouth of Purisima Creek. The 

 lithological similarity suggests stratigraphic connection. The strati- 

 graphic position of these beds suggests the possibility that they were 

 at one time connected with the beds at Seven Mile Beach. If such 



