How did the Monterey Bay form geologically?
Monterey Bay, one of the sanctuary’s most prominent features, formed as wave action and sea-level rise eroded weaker rocks and sediment of the inner bay, while the stronger sedimentary rocks of Santa Cruz and the granitic rocks of Monterey resisted erosion and became headlands.
How old is the Monterey Formation?
The Monterey Formation is a bio-siliceous, very organic-rich deposit found in southern California. It was deposited between 17 and 5 million years ago during a time when tectonic forces were shifting, and localized subsidence during a time of high eustatic sea level, along with coastal upwelling, affected the area.
Why is Monterey Bay famous?
Facing wide Monterey Bay, it’s famed around the globe for its abundance of marine wildlife and uber-fresh seafood. Dinners of shrimp, oysters, and clam chowder can cap off days of sailing the Pacific in search of killer whales and dolphin pods.
Why is Monterey Bay such a rich habitat?
Reasons for such diversity of wildlife in Monterey Bay include: Converging warm and cold water zones. Currents traveling along the canyon walls create upwellings, which send plankton and nutrient rich waters to the surface.
Where is chert found in California?
Marin Headlands
Shown above is bedded chert rock in the Marin Headlands of northern California, just north of San Francisco. Chert is a silica rock composed of cryptocrystalline quartz, which comes in a variety of forms.
Is there sharks in Monterey Bay?
The arrival of juvenile white sharks in the Monterey Bay began around 2014 and coincided with several climate events that brought warmer waters to the Bay Area coastline — including a particularly curious influx of warm ocean water scientists dubbed the “warm blob.”
Where is the Monterey Formation in Southern California?
The Monterey Formation is a bio-siliceous, very organic-rich deposit found in southern California. It was deposited between 17 and 5 million years ago during a time when tectonic forces were shifting, and localized subsidence during a time of high eustatic sea level, along with coastal upwelling, affected the area.
Where are the geologic records in Southern California?
This geologic database of the Yucaipa 7.5′ quadrangle was prepared by the Southern California Areal Mapping Project (SCAMP), a regional geologic-mapping project sponsored jointly by the U.S. Geological Survey and the California Geological Survey.
How big is the Monterey Shale in feet?
The Monterey shale overlies the Point Sal formation without noticeable discontinuity, or overlaps all the older sedimentary formations and rests on the Franciscan. It has a maximum outcrop thickness of 2,100 feet, but is as much as 5,000 feet thick in some subsurface sections.
How many MMBO are there in the Monterey Formation?
Production is from three zones at 300m, 335m and 457m depth, all from the Puente Formation. To date, 23 MMbo have been produced, with 50 wells still producing in Los Angeles city.
