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Geology of the Southern Santa Ana Mountains, Orange County, California

Citation

Moore, Bernard Nettleton (1930) Geology of the Southern Santa Ana Mountains, Orange County, California. Dissertation (Ph.D.), California Institute of Technology. doi:10.7907/Q2EK-VB06. https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechETD:etd-02122007-142830

Abstract

The area studied lies on the southwestern slope of the Santa Ana Mountains in the southeastern quarter of the Corona Quadrangle.

The oldest rocks are a series of slates and sandstones with some lenses of limestone and intruded by andesite porphyry dikes. Unconformably overlying the slates is a coarse conglomerate and in part of the area a series of basic lavas and tuffs. All these rocks have been metamorphosed by andesite granodiorite and diabase intrusions. Triassic fossils have been reported from the slates. The rocks overlying the "basement complex" constitute a westward dipping homocline, including upper Cretaceous. Paleocene, and middle Eocene formations, the Vaqueros and Topanga formations, the Puente shales, and the Capistrano formation, each of which is bounded by an unconformity or disconformity.

The structure is unusual in that, while the sediments are those typical of the Coast Ranges, the mountains are a tilted fault block, uplift taking place along the Elsinore fault system. The detailed structure consists of a few folds and faults not aligned with the Elsinore system.

The physiographic history shows a long series of repeated uplifts. Some of the lower terraces are marine. In the evolution of the present topography the resistance of the rocks has played a large part.

Item Type:Thesis (Dissertation (Ph.D.))
Subject Keywords:Santa Ana Mountains, Corona Quadrangle, basement complex, Vaqueros Formation, Topanga Formation, Capistrano Formation, Silverado Formation
Degree Grantor:California Institute of Technology
Division:Geological and Planetary Sciences
Major Option:Geology
Thesis Availability:Public (worldwide access)
Research Advisor(s):
  • Unknown, Unknown
Thesis Committee:
  • Unknown, Unknown
Defense Date:1 January 1930
Additional Information:Supplemental Files Information: Structure sections: Supplement 1 from "Geology of the southern Santa Ana Mountains, Orange County, California" (Thesis). Geologic map: Supplement 2 from "Geology of the southern Santa Ana Mountains, Orange County, California" (Thesis).
Record Number:CaltechETD:etd-02122007-142830
Persistent URL:https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechETD:etd-02122007-142830
DOI:10.7907/Q2EK-VB06
Related URLs:
URLURL TypeDescription
https://doi.org/10.22002/D1.329DOISupplement 1 in CaltechDATA: Structure sections
https://doi.org/10.22002/D1.330DOISupplement 2 in CaltechDATA: Geologic map
Default Usage Policy:No commercial reproduction, distribution, display or performance rights in this work are provided.
ID Code:615
Collection:CaltechTHESIS
Deposited By: Imported from ETD-db
Deposited On:06 Mar 2007
Last Modified:03 Oct 2019 23:00

Thesis Files

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PDF (no OCR. Moore_bn_1930.pdf) - Final Version
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44MB
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PDF (Structure sections) - Supplemental Material
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19MB
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PDF (Geologic map) - Supplemental Material
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30MB

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