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A Beginner’s Fossil Guide to the Northern California Coast Unearthing Evidence of Creatures from Deep t i m e By Leslie Scopes Anderson acknowledgements: This book would not have been possible without the help of my advisor, Humboldt State University professor Dr. William Miller, who was an invaluable resource of knowl- edge, wisdom and guidance. He conceived the idea for this guide and was instrumental in its progress and completion. Also thanks to HSU graduate students Adam Jackson and Christa Jackson for their asssistance. About the Author: Leslie Scopes Anderson received a BFA Copyright © 2011 by Leslie Scopes Anderson, and Hum- from University of Utah and is now a graduate student at boldt State University, Arcata, CA. Humboldt State University. She is a nature photographer All rights reserved. and a volunteer naturalist at the Arcata Marsh. She has an avid interest in and curiosity about Copies may be printed for indiviual or class use but may our natural world. Please contact her not be sold or distributed for profit without witten permis- with any comments or corrections sion from the author. about this guide: [email protected] Other publications by the author: • Marsh Moments, with Charles M. Disclaimer: The author, publisher and affiliates assume Anderson no liability for accidents happening to, or injuries • Common Birds of the Arcata Marsh sustained by readers who engage in activities described & Wildlife Sanctuary, with Ken in this book. Burton and David Fix 2 Redwood s National Table of Contents N Park Elk Head 5 Trinidad Moonstone 4 The Setting: Beach Mouth of 3 A Brief Geologic History of Mad River Northern California ........................... 4 McKinleyville Pleistocene Epoch .............................. 6 Arcata The Sites: AREA MAP 101 1. Scotia Bluffs .................................. 7 Eureka 2. Centerville Beach .......................... 9 3. Moonstone Beach ........................ 11 4. Mouth of the Mad River .............. 13 Fortuna 5. Elk Head ...................................... 15 Centerville 211 Beach 2 Ferndale Glossary ............................................. 17 Scotia References .......................................... 17 Scotia 1 Bluffs 5 mi. 10 km Finding Fossils Humboldt County, California offers an impressive array of interesting geologic features exposed by the ocean and local rivers. These layers of deep time contain evidence of conditions on earth and the ancient creatures who lived here millions of years ago. Their fossil remains have been preserved and can be uncovered at several sites in the area. In this guide, you will find maps, directions and samples of the kind of specimens that can be discovered. All it takes is curiosity, a desire to learn more, and the proper tools. Basic equipment for field geology includes: • Hand trowel • Compass • Field camera • Ruler • Rock hammer • Eye protection • Work gloves • Hand lens • Waterproof notebook • Small plastic bags • Pencil, marker • Boots, hat, sunscreen Whenever you venture into the field, take water and maps, allow enough time, and be aware of the weather conditions, tide levels and other cautions for the area. Always respect private property and the environment when fossil hunting. Leave specimens for future explorers. 3 Geologic Time Scale YEARS BEFORE EON ERA PERIOD PRESENT EPOCH (million) Age of man QUATERNARY HOLOCENE Mad River & Elk Head fossils 0.01 Moonstone Beach fossils PLEISTOCENE 1.64 Centerville Beach PLIOCENE fossils NEOGENE 5.2 Scotia Bluffs fossils MIOCENE 24 OLIGOCENE 33.5 CENOZOIC EOCENE PALEOGENE 55 PALEOCENE Mass extinction – 66 dinosaurs replaced CRETACEOUS 144 JURASSIC Age of dinosaurs 208 Mass extinction MESOZOIC TRIASSIC PHANEROZOIC 248 Largest mass extinction – 95% of all PERMIAN species wiped out 286 PENNSYLVANIAN 325 Age of plants MISSISSIPPIAN 360 Mass extinction DEVONIAN 408 First fish PALEOZOIC SILURIAN 438 ORDOVICIAN 505 Mass extinction CAMBRIAN 543 Explosion of animal life VENDIAN Eukaryotes appear Age of stromatolites 2500 3500 First fossils – Prokaryotes ARCHAEN PROTEROZOIC 4500 Solar system & earth formed 4 The Setting: a Brief Geologic History of Northern California Between Fire and Water with the small islands, was scraped off by the westward- ook around you! The spectacular sea cliffs on the moving North American plate and added to its leading beautiful Northern California coast are the leading edge. L edge of the North American tectonic plate. The ground beneath your feet was once on the ocean Mesozoic activity bottom! Our area is composed mainly of the Franciscan About 200 million years ago, during the age of dinosaurs, complex, which is an assemblage of sedimentary and the supercontinent of Pangea began to break up, creating volcanic rocks formed in a marine environment. Sand the North American plate. The early western continental and mud deposited on the sea floor over millions of years margin became graywacke sandstone and shale. Undersea ridges extended spewed volcanic basalt in bulging pillows. Some magma from what is became small islands. Mafic greenstone was sheared and now southern heated under pressure to form serpentinite. Billions of tiny California, sea creatures accumulated on the bottom to become layers up along of ribbon chert and limestone. This seafloor material, along the eastern borders of Nevada, Oregon and Washington, so our area was submerged. • As this plate broke away from the European continent and moved westward, Figure 1 – Configuration of continents 200 million years ago Figure 2 – California 100 mill. yrs. ago • Approximate position of NW California it overtopped Source: Ron Blakely, NAU Geology, 2008 5 Plate Tectonics – Cascadia Subduction Zone • Cascade Range V o l c a n Juan i c De Fuca A JUAN r Ridge c DE FUCA Figure 3 – Configuration of continents 140 million years ago. PLATE • Approximate position of NW California Mt. St. Helens the Farallon plate. The subduction zone resulted in the collision and accretion of belts of oceanic rock that built NORTH AMERICAN the continental margin westward, and filled in the northern Gorda portion of what is now California with this mélange. Ridge PLATE (Figure 2) The diving Farallon plate melted at depth, causing chains of Mt. Shasta andesitic volcanoes and plutons of granitic magma to form PACIFIC GORDA inland. Plutonic rocks from this period are found in the PLATE PLATE Klamath Mountains and Sierra Nevada. The Farallon plate Spreading Mt. Lassen was then completely subducted and consumed beneath the Zone Subduction North American plate. Zone Cenozoic activity After the dinosaurs died out, about 28 million years ago, the North American plate collided with the Pacific Gorda Ridge Mt. Shasta Mt. Lassen plate along the San Andreas transform fault. The North American plate ceased its westward movement and NORTH began a more southwest course, sliding past the Pacific Spreading AMERICAN plate, rather than overtopping it. These shearing forces PLATE metamorphically deformed greenstone from the ocean floor PACIFIC GORDA to create serpentinite. This formation decomposes through PLATE PLATE Subduction weathering to form “blue goo” – unstable blue-gray mud found in our area. The North American plate then came in Figure 5 – The mechanics of subduction and volcanic arcs contact with the Juan de Fuca plate and the Gorda Plate, After Humboldt State University, Geology Dept., 1996. which subducted and began to melt at depth. The resulting magma surfaced in a volcanic arc to form the Cascade range, including Mt. Lassen and Mt. Shasta. (Figure 5) Quarternary events The plates continue their movements to the present day, and are responsible for the numerous earthquakes felt along the California coast. Sediment washed from the land by riv- ers is deposited in layers of mud and sand along the coast. • Most of the fossils found in our area are quite recent, geo- logically speaking. They were deposited along the coast in environments quite similar to those we see today. Many of the species of sea creatures have evloved slowly, with their contemporary counterparts looking much the same as they do now. The remains of sea creatures that lived here were cov- ered by beach sand and mud brought in by rivers, which Figure 4 – Configuration of continents 65 million years ago consolidated and preserved them. The sea cliffs in which • Approximate position of NW California the fossil deposits are found have been uplifted by tectonic Source: Institute for Geophysics, University of Texas at Austin, 1997 activity and worn away by the action of ocean waves. 6 Merriam’s pleistocene epoch Teratorn California Laurel Shasta Ground Sloth Pliohippus Mastodon Columbian Chaparral Mammoth Dawn Stag- Redwood moose Sabertoothed Cat Red-legged Frog Primrose Dragonfly Cockle Dogwinkle Pacific Scallop Moon Snail Limpet Sand Dollar Figure 6 – A representation of the flora and fauna that may have existed in California around the time most of the invertebrate fossils we find were deposited. Illustration by Leslie Scopes Anderson. Source: National Academy of Sciences, 2008 7 Site One: Sandstone cliffs and Scotia Bluffs trail scotia Bluffs Railroad bridge showing gaps! his location involves a long walk, but yields many Cockles impressive specimens. The Scottia Bluffs Sandstone s T is part of the upper Wildcat Group, composed of N massive tan and grey fine-grained, poorly consoli- dated sandstone with some mudstone. This sedimentary layer was deposited in a shallow marine environment around 2 million years ago in the Pleistocene epoch. In addition to the shell