Stratigraphy of the Southern Coast Ranges Near the San Andreas Fault from Cholame to Maricopa, California
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Stratigraphy of the Southern Coast Ranges near the San Andreas Fault from Cholame to Maricopa, California GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 764 Stratigraphy of the Southern Coast Ranges near the San Andreas Fault from Gholame to Maricopa, California By T. W. DIBBLEE, JR. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 764 A discussion of the regional stratigraphy of the McLure Valley area, Temblor Range, Carrizo Plain, Cuyama Valley, Caliente Range, La Panza Range, and Sierra Madre Mountains UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1973 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR ROGERS C. B. MORTON, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY V. E. McKelvey, Director Library of Congress catalog-card No. 72-600327 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402 Price: Paper cover-80 cents, domestic postpaid; 55 cents, GPO Bookstore. Stock No. 2401-00300 CONTENTS Page Page Abstract _ _ __________________________ 1 Middle Tertiary sedimentary sequence Continued Introduction _____________________________________ 1 Vaqueros and Temblor Formations Continued Scope and purpose ___________________________ 1 Temblor Formation Continued Problems of stratigraphic terminology _________ 3 Buttonbed Sandstone Member ______ 23 Chronology used _____________________________ 3 Monterey Shale ____________________ 24 Tectonic areas ____________________________ 5 Review of nomenclature _____ _ 24 Crystalline plutonic and metamorphic rocks ________ 5 Stratigraphic units southwest of the San Eugeosynclinal sedimentary and igneous rocks _____ 6 Andreas fault 24 Definition ___________________________________ 6 Saltos Shale Member ______________ 25 Franciscan rocks ____________________________ 6 Whiterock Bluff Shale Member ____ 26 Ultramafic rocks _ __ __________________ 6 Stratigraphic units northeast of the San Jurassic (?) and Cretaceous marine sedimentary se Andreas fault. 27 quence __ ______________________________ 6 Gould Shale Member __ 28 Definition _____________________________ 6 Devilwater Shale Member 29 Gravelly Flat Formation _____________________ 7 Interbedded shale and sandstone mem Hex Claystone _______________________________ 8 ber ____________ 29 Panoche Formation __________________________ 8 McLure Shale Member __ 29 Upper Cretaceous and lower Tertiary marine sedi Belridge Diatomite Member 30 mentary sequence _________________ 9 Branch Canyon Sandstone ___ 30 Definition ___i_______________________________ 9 Santa Margarita Formation ___ 31 Marine clastic sedimentary rocks ______________ 9 Caliente Formation 31 Lower Tertiary marine sedimentary sequence _______ 10 Basalt _________________-___ 32 Definition ________________________ 10 Bitterwater Creek Shale _____ 33 Lodo(?) Formation __________________________ 10 Reef Ridge Shale ___________ 33 Avenal Sandstone ____________________________ 10 Kreyenhagen Shale __________________________ 12 Upper Tertiary sedimentary sequence 33 Point of Rocks Sandstone _________________ 13 Definition _____ 33 Wagonwheel Formation ______________________ 13 Deposits in the San Joaquin Valley area 34 Middle Tertiary sedimentary sequence _____________ 13 Terminology __ 34 Definition ___________________________________ 13 Etchegoin Formation 36 Simmler Formation __________________________ 14 San Joaquin Formation 37 Vaqueros and Temblor Formations ____________ 15 Deposits in the Salinas Valley-Cuyama Valley Review of nomenclature __________________ 15 area _____ 37 Vaqueros Formation ____________ 17 Unnamed marine sediments _ 37 Quail Canyon Sandstone Member __ 17 Quatal Formation 38 Soda Lake Shale Member _____________ 17 Morales Formation 38 Painted Rock Sandstone Member 18 Valley deposits 39 Temblor Formation ______________________ 18 Definition ________ 39 Cymric Shale Member ___________ 20 Paso Robles Formation 39 Wygal Sandstone Member ____________ 20 Tulare Formation _ 40 Santos Shale and Agua Sandstone Mem Surficial deposits 41 bers __________ 22 Relationship of sedimentary sequences to the San Carneros Sandstone Member ________ 23 Andreas fault _ _ 41 Media Shale Member _________________ 23 References cited _ '- 42 ILLUSTRATIONS Page FIGURE 1. Index map of part of central California showing area studied __________________________________ 1 2. Generalized geologic map showing distribution of major stratigraphic sequences in the southern Coast Ranges near the San Andreas fault from Cholame and Avenal to Cuyama and Maricopa III IV CONTENTS Page FIGURES 3-8. Stratigraphic diagrams showing: 3. Major Mesozoic and Cenozoic sedimentary sequences of the southern Coast Ranges near the San Andreas fault from Cholame and Avenal to Cuyama and Maricopa 3 4. Cretaceous and Cenozoic chronology of the southern Coast Ranges 4 5. Jurassic (?) and Cretaceous marine sedimentary sequence in the southeastern part of the Diablo Range and in the Temblor Range 7 6. Lower Tertiary marine sedimentary sequence in part of the Diablo Range between McLure and Cholame Valleys and in the Temblor Range 11 7. Lithologic units of the middle Tertiary sedimentary sequence southwest of the San Andreas fault from Cholame to Cuyama _ _ 14 8. Lithologic units of the middle Tertiary sedimentary sequence northeast of the San Andreas fault from Avenal to Maricopa 15 9. Map of the Temblor Range showing geographic localities mentioned and areal extent of the Tertiary formations _ __________________ 19 10. Geologic map of the Chico Martinez Creek area, Temblor Range, showing members of the Temblor Formation and Monterey Shale ________ 21 11. Stratigraphic diagram showing sections of the Temblor Formation from Cedar Creek to Zemorra Creek in the Temblor Range ____________ -_ _ - 22 12. Map showing probable original and present areal extent of contemporaneous formations or facies of mainly middle and late Miocene age in southern Coast Ranges ___ _ _ 25 13. Diagram showing classification and names applied to the upper Tertiary (Pliocene) sedimentary se quence in southeastern part of the Diablo Range and Kettleman Hills 35 14. Stratigraphic diagram showing valley deposits and upper Tertiary sedimentary sequence of the San Joaquin Valley area along east side of the southeastern part of the Diablo Range, Kettleman Hills, and the Temblor Range ___________ _______________________ _ __-_ 36 TABLES Page TABLE 1. Names applied by other investigators to strata herein assigned to the Vaqueros and Temblor Forma tions of map region of figure 2 _________ 16 2. Local Stratigraphic units of the Temblor Formation in the Temblor Range between Chico Martinez Creek and Bitterwater Creek _______ ____________ _ 20 3. Members of the Temblor Formation exposed at Devils Den ___________ _____ _ 24 STRATIGRAPHY OF THE SOUTHERN COAST RANGES NEAR THE SAN ANDREAS FAULT FROM CHOLAME TO MARICOPA, CALIFORNIA By T. W. DIBBLEE, JR. ABSTRACT 122 120° The upper Mesozoic and Cenozoic sedimentary series within about 20 miles on either side of the San Andreas fault has been mapped and systematically classified. South west of the fault, the sedimentary series overlies a Mesozoic crystalline basement of plutonic and metamorphic rocks, is from 5,000 to 40,000 feet thick, and is divided into four lithologic sequences. Northeast of the fault, the sedimentary series overlies a Mesozoic basement of eugeosynclinal rocks (Franciscan rocks and serpentine), is from 25,000 to 40,000 feet thick, and is divided into five lithologic sequences. These sequences are in large part separated by regional uncon formities. The Cretaceous and Tertiary sequences are marine and terrestrial southwest of the fault, marine northeast of it. The youngest sequence, mainly of Quaternary age, is composed of lithologically similar valley sediments on each side of the fault. Most of the sedimentary sequences are divided into litho logically distinct formations of large areal extent, some of which in turn are divided into local members. A standardized set of names has been designated for the formations and members for this region, using the existing names that are applicable. On opposite sides of the San Andreas fault, not only are the basement rocks contrasting, but the oldest correspond ing sedimentary sequences are dissimilar; the successively younger sequences are progressively less different. This con dition appears to be the result of persistent right-lateral movement on the fault since Cretaceous time. INTRODUCTION SCOPE AND PURPOSE The areal geology of about 20 miles on either side of an 80-mile segment of the San Andreas fault from Cholame and Avenal to Cuyama and Mari- FIGURE 1. Index map of part of central California. Area copa (fig. 1) has been mapped and compiled at a studied, indicated by dashed outline, is shown in figure 2. scale of 1:125,000, or 2 miles to 1 inch (Dibblee, 1973b). The region mapped is in the southern drilled for oil or gas is shown in five cross sections Coast Ranges and includes the extreme southeastern (Wagner and others, 1973). The purpose of the part of the Diablo Range, all the Temblor Range, geologic map (Dibblee, 1973b) and cross sections Carrizo Plain, Caliente and La Panza Ranges, (Wagner and others, 1973) is to portray the re Sierra Madre Mountains, and much of Cuyama gional geology and to provide a geologic background Valley (fig. 2). for earthquake investigations and geophysical The subsurface geology of this area based on the studies in progress or contemplated along this great areal geology mapped and on logs of test holes active fault. STRATIGRAPHY, SOUTHERN COAST RANGES NEAR SAN ANDREAS FAULT, CALIFORNIA EXPLANATION