OsdUdtions of the Culifornia Coast. — Fairbanks. 241 
Pleistocene elevation again excavated and in the recovery 
from the terrace period filled to the present level. Tiie fact 
that the submarine valley extends close to the shore directly 
at the. mouth of the present river makes it very certain that 
its upper portion must be excavated in the Pleistocene sedi- 
ments and at a very recent epoch. 
Indications of a recent subsidence are plainly visible near 
the mouth of the Pajaro river. A tidal lagoon extends north- 
erly from a point west of Castroville for about ten miles. The 
lagoon is bordered by low liills of unconsolidated material, 
probably of Pleistocene age. The slopes of the hills facing 
the old channel show plainly the effects of erosion during a 
greater elevation, for it is inconceivable that it could have 
been excavated under present conditions. 
Although the Pajaro river flows out to this ocean through 
a narrow canon on leaving the Santa Clara-San Benito valle}', 
this fact cannot be used as an argument against the view that 
the Sacramento river once emptied here. The narrow and 
steep walled gorge has been cut very recently, possibly as a 
result of local warping. The hills immediately adjoining the 
canon on the south do not rise over 300 feet and are of recent 
formation. 
The character of the broad valley north of San Pedro point 
is indicative not only of the recent subsidence which Lawson 
considers has affected the region about the bay of San Fran- 
cisco, but of a very considerable elevation prior to the for- 
mation of the terraces. 
From the foregoing considerations it is evident tliat the 
last depression has not been so local as Lawson has supposed. 
It is seen to have affected the most, if not the whole, of the 
southern coast. The negative evidence, according to Lawson, 
north of Bodega Head is not of great value, for the mountains 
general!}' come down quite abruptly to the coast. The flood 
plain described by him at the mouth of Eel river is strongly 
suggestive of a recent depression; at least I do not see an}' 
reason why the phenomena might not be interpreted as easily 
that way as any other. Lagoons occur at the mouths of 
Smith and Klamath rivers, but this region has not been 
studied. 
A recent subsidence is plainly recognizable along the Ore- 
