1. Chapter 5, Lesson 2, California Geology

2. Chapter 5, Lesson 2, California Geology, Slide 1
*What is the main idea?
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-What are plate tectonics in California like?
*Many of California’s landforms were produced by plate tectonic activity, which continues today.
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-Movements of plates have changed California dramatically.
-Seas have disappeared, old mountains have eroded away, and new mountains have been uplifted.
-At the northern end of California, a convergent plate boundary sits offshore and produces earthquakes, volcanoes, and mountains.

3. Chapter 5, Lesson 2, California Geology, Slide 2
*What is California’s transform plate boundary?
*A small part of California, west of the San Andreas Fault, lies on the Pacific Plate.
*The San Andreas Fault is a transform plate boundary that is located between the North American Plate and the Pacific Plate.
*Because the San Andreas Fault is a transform plate boundary, it is also a strike-slip fault.
*It extends all the way from Mendocino in the northern part of California to the Salton Sea in the south.

4. Chapter 5, Lesson 2, California Geology, Slide 3
-What is California’s convergent plate boundary?
-Offshore of Northern California, there are two small oceanic lithospheric plates.
-These plates are known as the Gorda and Juan de Fuca.
-They are subducted beneath the coast at the Cascadia Subduction Zone.
-This subduction forms a convergent plate boundary.
- Melting above this subduction zone produces the volcanic mountains of the Cascade Range.

5. Chapter 5, Lesson 2, California Geology, Slide 4
*How were California’s mountains formed?
*California’s mountains often formed from interactions at several plate boundaries.
*Convergent plate boundaries, both in the past and the present, have been important in forming California’s mountains.
*During mountain building, compressive stresses and heat produce metamorphic rocks that form where plates converge.
*The Klamath Mountains, Coastal Ranges, Peninsular Ranges, and Sierra Nevada, all contain igneous and metamorphic rocks that formed far below the surface.

6. Chapter 5, Lesson 2, California Geology, Slide 5
*How were California’s mountains formed?
(Continued)
*There are even some mountains in California that have formed because of tension stresses.
*The Panamint Range just west of Death Valley is rising up as the crust in eastern California stretches.
*Mountains help scientists understand the processes that are part of California’s rich tectonic history.

7. Chapter 5, Lesson 2, California Geology, Slide 6
*How were California’s mountains formed?
(Continued)

8. Chapter 5, Lesson 2, California Geology, Slide 7
-Summary
-Most of California is located on the North American Plate.
-The San Andreas Fault is a transform plate boundary and strike- slip fault that extends from Cape Mendocino to the Salton Sea.
-Convergent plate boundaries make up most of California’s mountain ranges.
-There are some mountains, such as the Panamint Range, that have formed because of tension stresses.

9. Questions????
What kind of plate boundary sits at the northern end of California?
What fault extends from Mendocino to the Salton Sea?
What is the name of one of the oceanic lithospheric plates located offshore of Northern California?
Most of California’s mountain ranges are made from what type of plate boundaries?
Which mountain range was created by tension stresses?