Santa Cruz Coast & Año Nuevo - 2016

On November 3, 2016, we explored the geologic and petroliferous features of the Santa Cruz-San Mateo County Coast. The first two rows of images document the exposed Santa Cruz mudstone and the carbonate cold seeps. Next stop was Majors Creek overlook, which documents the migration path of oil generated offshore updip through the Majors Creek area and ultimately to surface exposures of a now-abandoned asphalt quary. On an exposed cliffside, we viewed the lighter, Santa Cruz mudstone overlying the darker, petroleum-saturated Santa Margarita sandstone. We proceeded to Yellowbank Beach, where we investigated the massive injectite complex. Panther Beach, through the arch, was not accessible at high tide. Notice the cliffs with injectite containing extensive dolomite cement and complex banding. Lunchtime: Bonny Doon Winery. Our last stop at Año Nuevo State Park was to observe the Monterey Formation, not seen anywhere else today. Here we are west of the San Gregorio Fault, so all presence of Santa Cruz mudstone has disappeared. We were lucky to see a handful of juvenile elephant seals basking on the sandy beach. The majority of the herd, over 2000 individuals, do not arrive for birthing and mating until December. A fantastic field trip!