USGS Open-File Report 02-121: Field-Trip Guide to the Southeastern Foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains In Santa Clara County, California

Field-Trip Guide to the Southeastern Foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains In Santa Clara County, California

By Philip W. Stoffer and Paula Messina

Summary

This field trip is an introduction to the geology of the southeastern foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains in southern Santa Clara County. Seven stops include four short hikes to access rock exposures and views of the foothills east of Loma Prieta Peak between Gilroy and San José. Field-trip destinations highlight the dominant rock types of the "Franciscan assemblage" including outcrops of serpentinite, basalt, limestone, ribbon chert, graywacke sandstone, and shale. General discussions include how the rocks formed, and how tectonism and stream erosion have changed the landscape through time. All field trip stops are on public land; most are near reservoir dams of the Santa Clara Valley Water District. In addition, stops include examination of an Ohlone Indian heritage site and the New Almaden Mining Museum.

First posted March 30, 2002

Report PDF (7.5 MB)

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For additional information, contact:
Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center
U.S. Geological Survey
345 Middlefield Road, MS 901
Menlo Park, CA 94025-3591
http://geomaps.wr.usgs.gov/gmeg/

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Suggested citation:

Stoffer, P. W., Messina, Paula, 2002, Field-Trip Guide to the Southeastern Foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains In Santa Clara County, California: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 02-121, 27 pp., https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2002/0121/.