COAST MOUNTAINS—SUBMERGED RANGES. 
139 
In the latitude of San Francisco there are three prominent ranges: the first, or most western, 
bordering the Pacific, called the San Francisco and San Bruno range ; the second, Central or 
Contra Costa range ; and the third, Diablo range. These are separated by longitudinal valleys 
of considerable extent. 
We also find long, parallel ranges with included valleys in the latitude of Monterey. Point 
Pinos, which extends out into the sea, and forms the bulwark of the hay of Monterey, is the end 
of a long and elevated range, formerly called the Sierra de Santa Lucia} which extends south¬ 
ward, and forms the coast-line nearly to San Luis Obispo. This range is probably granitic, 
and forms a hold, rocky shore for nearly its entire length. This range is separated from another, 
further inland, by the long and extensive valley of the Salinas or San Buenaventura river. The 
second range appears to he the prolongation of the mountains forming the northeastern shore of 
the bay—the Santa Cruz range. It is crossed by the road from Monterey to San Francisco at a 
point near the mission of San Juan, and is there known as the San Juan range; further south it is 
sometimes called the Gavilan or Salinas range. A third or inner range forms the eastern side 
of the Benito valley, and divides it from the San Joaquin. The valley of the Salinas is about 
sixty miles in length, and near its northern extremity about twelve wide. The bay of Monterey 
may be considered as formed by the junction of this valley with the sea. 
In the latitude of San Luis Obispo the same characteristic parallelism of ranges prevails. At 
that point they are bold and elevated, and the topography of the interior is as yet but little 
known. The ranges north of San Francisco are also parallel, and separated by valleys. 
We have thus seen that the Coast Mountains do not form one, single, continuous ridge bordering 
the sea, but that they consist of many parallel ranges, enclosing long and extensive valleys. 
The breadth over which these ranges extend varies at different points. At San Francisco it is 
about 40 miles, at Monterey 60, and further south, between the Tulares and the coast, nearly 
TO miles. The breadth is even greater towards the north—north of the bay of San Francisco. 
The general direction of all the ranges between Sir Francis Drake’s bay and Point Conception 
is northwest and southeast, being parallel with the trend of the Sierra Nevada, and coincident 
with the general trend of the coast-line, this, in fact, being determined by the mountains. 
Sudden bends or inflexions of the coast-line are found at several points, as, for example, the bay 
of Monterey, which occupies the space between the end of one range and the side of another, 
the outer range passing beneath the sea at Point Pinos, and thus leaving the valley of the 
Salinas open. This disposition of the ranges shows an overlapping character, which is found 
also at other points of the Coast Mountains. The ranges appear to be placed en echelon, and 
to overlap towards the northwest in an ascending order from south to north. This arrange¬ 
ment is visible on a good topographical map of the country, and may be seen, within a limited 
area, on the charts of the bay of San Francisco and San Pablo, where the inner ranges pass 
beyond and terminate north of the outer. 
The groups of islands, ranged in lines parallel to the coast and the adjoining ranges of 
mountains, may be regarded as the culminating points or crests of submerged ranges. I have 
so considered them in recent observations on the hydrography of the coast, prepared for Pro¬ 
fessor A. D. Bache, of the United States Coast Survey. 1 2 It is probable that there are three 
marine ranges, although there may be but two. One is nearly east and west in its direction, 
1 So named by Vizcaino, December, 1602.—(See an extract from Tbrquemada’s Monorchia Indiana, in Venega’s History of 
California, ii, p. 282.) 
2 See Report of the Superintendent of the United States Coast Survey for 1855. 
