Marine terraces are a defining geomorphological feature of the West Coast, and are dispersed along the entire extent of California’s active, uplifting coastline. Found on emergent tectonic coastal margins worldwide, marine terraces underlay much of California’s heavily developed and populated regions. Terrace Geomorphology: Tectonics and Sea Level Change Marine terraces begin as wave cut platforms, … More California’s Marine Terraces
The California Current is one of the world’s most productive eastern boundary currents, and upwelling is the primary physical factor driving the highly productive marine ecosystem associated with the current. Upwelling occurs when persistent longshore winds create an offshore flow at the surface, which in turn upwells deeper nutrient rich ocean waters along the coast. … More California Current Upwelling System
The subnivean layer, or zone, is the concealed ecotone that forms in winter, uniting and encapsulating the boundary between the earth’s surface and the foundation of a snowpack. The subnivean zone can form under as little as ten inches of snow pack, and provides an insulated environment for wintertime productivity and flourishing trophic connectivity. This … More Biogeography of the Subnivean Zone
Blizzards are rare in California, and when they do occur it is usually in the higher alpine zones of the Sierra-Nevada and southern Cascade Range, where they can be hard to detect or predict. Technically, a blizzard is a severe storm characterized by high winds and reduced visibilities due to falling or blowing snow. The … More California’s Historic Blizzards
Geomorphology Word of the Day…
California’s Pleistocene Megafauna and the Role of Climate Change in Extinction: The Younger Dryas, the Rise of Wildfire, and the end of an Epoch The icy life span of the Pleistocene Epoch, commonly referred to as the Ice Age, unfurled for more than two and a half million years, from 2.6 million to 11,000 years … More California’s Pleistocene Megafauna and the Role of Climate Change in Extinction
Geology and Geomorphology of the Rancho La Brea Tar Pits On the chronostratigraphic scale of geologic time, a picture of earth’s past structures, systems, and inhabitants increasingly comes into focus as the ascent out of deep time accelerates toward our current moment on the planet. Geochronologic divisions of life and physical events on earth (based … More Geology and Geomorphology of the Rancho La Brea Tar Pits
Serpentinite in California The State rock of California, commonly referred to as Serpentine, is known for its striking blue-green hue, slick surfaces, and dramatic topography. Serpentinite landscapes form California’s emblematic towering coastal cliffs, Sierran talus slopes, and the pastoral rolling hills of Franciscan formation and Franciscan mélange in the Coast Ranges. What Prominent in California, … More Serpentinite in California
Serpentinite Habitats in California Serpentinite rock forms the landscapes and soils that support some of California’s most rare and endemic species and habitats. A product of our young and rugged tectonic landscape, serpentinite defines and punctuates the accreted wilderness of the Klamath Mountains, the foothills of the Sierra-Nevada, and the emergent transform slopes and valleys … More Serpentinite Habitats in California
Biogeography of California’s Seasonal Freshwater Wetlands For the purpose of this research, and to get a better understanding of this overwhelming and ecologically vital topic, I have grouped California’s seasonal (vernal, ephemeral) freshwater wetlands into three categories, or associations, based on broad geomorphological distinctions, and differing hydrologic characteristics: coastal seasonal freshwater meadows; valley hardpan vernal … More Biogeography of California’s Seasonal Freshwater Wetlands
