california geology magazine july 1991

8/7/2019 California Geology Magazine July 1991

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CALIFORNIAGEOLOGY

A PU811CATION OF THEDEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATIONDIVISION OF MINES AND GEOLOGY

State at Calilott'Oa PETe WILSONGovernor

The Resources AoencY DOUGLAS P. WHEELERsecretary forResourcesl)epanmenl ot Cot\seIVatiorl EOWARD G. HEIOIG

Olf6CforDtvIsoDn ot MIIW$ &Geology JAMES F. DAVISStale Geologist

CALIFORNIA GEOLOGY

In This Issue IGSA ANNUAL MEETING . 146A VISIT TO SANTA BARBARA ISLAND . 147CHANNEL ISLANDS NATIONAL PARK . 152USING MICROORGANISMS TO RECOVER METALS . 154THE GREAT SEAL OF CALIFORNIA.. . 159DMG RELEASE:SP 100 PLANNING SCENARIO FOR A MAJOR EARTHQUAKE.SAN DIEGO-TIJUANA METROPOLITAN AREA .FIELD TRIP GUIDEBOOKS .THE STATE ROCK OF CALIFORNIA:SERPENTINE OR SERPENTINITE?BOOK REVIEWS .DMG RELEASE:SP 108 SEISMIC HAZARD INFORMATION NEEDS OF THEINSURANCE INDUSTRY, LOCAL GOVERNMENT,AND PROPERTY OWNERS IN CALIFORNIA .

Technical Edilor.Assistant Technical Ed'lor:Assistant Ed,lor:GraphK:S and Design:Publications Supervisor:

Don DuprasElise Man,sonLana TablliOloUise HudlabyJell lambert

Pt>Ol811 DepartmelIl ot Geroeral S&r-1C8SOffloll ot Slate f>rllltlt"oglli\IosIon He


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A Visit to Santa Barbara IslandBy

ROBERT M. NORRIS, GeologistUniversity of California. Santa Barbara

Figure 1. Location of the five Channel Islands and the associated Channel Islands NationalMarine Sanctuary. The mainland headquaJ1ers of the Channel Islands National Park is inVentura near the entrance of Ventura Harbor.

L o s A ~ 1 e sCoo""

" " c a ~ l . n a W

Lo,__ ~ A n g e l e ' C : g 1 f ~~ v e n l u r a

Venlura CounT)'

descending to near sea level (Photo 3).The best boat landing on Santa BarbaraIsland is located on the eastern shorewhere there is more shelter from theprevailing westerly winds.The surface of the top of SantaBarbara Island is fairly smooth with onlya few short gullies extending inland fromthe cliffs. There are, however. at least sixdistinct elevated marine terraces. thehighest of which is about 250 feet abovesea level (Lipps and others. 1968). Thelowest is only 5 feet above the sea.Fossils have been collected from depositsthat cap two of these terraces. one at

25-30 feet and the other at 130 feet.Other terraces appear to lack fossilsalthough slope wash from higher levelsmight conceal additional fossiliferousdeposits.

s an l a_+ -Bartlara

SANTA BARBAR.,q CHANNEL

santa Bartlara CounT)'Santa Barbara

1" .--

GEOGRAPHYSanta Barbara Island is very small andhas an area of only about 1 square mile

(Figure 2). A smaller adjacent island offits southwest coast. Sutil Island, has anarea of just a few acres. Shag Rock,smaller still. lies off Santa BarbaraIsland's northern coast (Photos 1 and 2).All three islands have cliffy coasts lackingsandy beaches. Most are rimmed byprominent cliffs from 200 to 600 feethigh, but near Webster Point, at thenorthwest comer of Santa BarbaraIsland. the land forms a gentle ramp

The area out to 6 nautical miles(equivalent to abouf 5.2 statute miles)around each island was designated asthe Channel Islands National MarineSanctuary (Figure 1). This sanctuary isrecognized for its special significance tomarine mammals, marine birds, fishand other wildlife.

INTRODUCTION

Channel Island National Par1l:Santa Barbara Island has long been

Federal property. In 1938 PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed SantaBarbara and Anacapa islands asChannel Islands National Monument.Following a series of Federal andlandowner actions to preselVe theChannel Islands, Congress designatedSanta Barbara, Anacapa. San Miguel,Santa Rosa, and Santa Cruz islands asthe Channells\ands National Park in1980 (National Park Service. 1984).

Oddly, the island is part of SantaBarbara County. 65 miles to thenorthwest. It is likely that it was origi-nally included in Santa Barbara Countybe


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Sea LionRookery

Canyon ViewNature Trail

Visitor Center(Ranger Slation)

ReslJoomsRanger Slallon

Interprellve tra,1CampMeAnchorageKelpbeds

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..

Santa BarbaraIsland LightShag


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.... Photo 3. Webster Point isin the distance, ElephantSeal Cove is in foreground.

Photo 4. Cliff lace at Elephantseal Cove. The cliff is about 200feet high in this area. The lowerlight-colored band is the marineshale separating the pillow lavas(below) from the agglomerate(above). Some of the higherwhitish patches are calcite andchert cement in the agglomerate...

Vesicular pillow lava. estimated t o beat least 1.000 feet thick. is exposed onthe island. particularly in its coastal cliffs(Kemnitzer. 1933). The most completesection of pillow lava appears on thenorth. west. and south sides of theisland. The younger agglomerate ismuch thinner. but covers the northeastern quarter of the island and is bestexposed along the northern half of theeastern shore near Arch Point.

After an unknown inlelVal of time. acrudely stratified basaltic agglomeratewas deposited on top of the marineshale. Agglomerate is a chaotic assemblage of angular pyroclastic material.This deposit appears to be of submarineorigin because of the crude stratification,and because the blocks of agglomerateare cemented with calcite and chert(Kemnitzer. 1933).Santa Barbara Island is not an oldvolcano: it does not have the vent or

vents that were the source area fromwhich the lava flows and pyroclasticmaterial erupted. The lack of ventsindicate that Santa Barbara Island is notthe stump of an eroded volcanic cone.The locations of the eruptive centers arenot known.

Marine TerracesOne clue to understanding thegeologic history of Santa Barbara Island

is to investigate the series. or "flight." ofelevated wave-cut marine terraces thatoccur there. A marine terrace formswhen sea level remains stable for aperiod of lime. Wave action eventuallyforms a broad. gently sloping. rockyplatform jusf below sea level. Rights ofwave-cut marine terraces are commonalong the southern California coast.

The most recent deposits on SantaBarbara Island are Pleistocene marineterrace sediments. At least six marineterraces are identified. two of whichhave fossiliferous deposits capping them(Upps and others, 196B). The twofossiliferous terrace deposits are at the25- to 3D-foot and 13D-foot elevations.Among the fossils present are foraminifera. mollusks, ostracodes. a stony coral.and two vertebrates: a bald eagle and a

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-Photo 5. Arch Point. nonheast corner of Santa Barbara Island. The f lat bellCh above the point is the 130-/00\ lerrace and oneof the fossil localit ies of Lipps and others (1968). The arch formed along the left-hand fault 01 two that ollse! this headland.

sea lion. The fossils indicate an opencoast setting with a rocky to sandybottom. and a water depth of 10 to 20feet (Upps and others, 1968).Some of the species found in theoldest uppermost terrace are extinct. butall of the species present in the lowerterrace deposits have llving representatives in the southern California area.Other terraces in the southern Californiaregion show the same pattern in whichextinct species are found only in terracedeposits 130 feet above sea level orhigher.Although lower marine terraces in agiven flight are younger, attempts tocorrelate terraces from one island to

another or to the mainland coast solelyon the basis of elevation have beenmisleading if not futile. As better datingtechniques were applied to Pleistocenemarine deposits thaI often cap thesewave-


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Photo 6 Eastern shore at the ISland near Landing Cove. Giant corepoSls plants (Cot"eop5IS (}/(J3mea) are ptommenlln the foreground.

FLORA REFERENCESDespite its very small size. Santa

Barbara Island has four endemic plantspecies and shares ten other insularendemic species with other offshoreislands of southern California andnorthern Mexico. Island vegetation hasbegun a rapid re

National Park service, 1984. ChannelIslands National Park: U.S. Depanmentotthe InteriorGPO 1984-421-5781288, fold-out brochure with maps at various scales.Philbrick, Ralph, 1980. Distribution andevolution 01 endemic plants of theCalifornia islands. in Powers. Dennis M.,editor. The California islands: SantaBarbara Museum of Natural History,santa Barbara. California. p. 173-187.Smith, W.S.T., 1900, A topographIC stLldy 01the islands 01 southern California:California University Department ofGeology Bulletin, v. 2 p. 179230.Wilcox, Bruce A., 1980, Species number,stability, and equilibrium status at reptile

launas on the California islandS. inPowers, Denrus M., editor. The CaliforniaISlandS: santa Barbara Museum ofNatural HislOry, santa Barbara. Califoma.,p.551-564:0/:

CALIFORNIA GEOLOGY JULY 1991 '"


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Channel Islands National Park

Photo 1, Channel Islands National Park Visilor Center andHeadquarters at Ventura Harbor, Ventura. Photo by Don Dupras.

Channel Islands NationalPark Visitor Center andHeadquarters are located atthe end of Spinnaker Drive,Ventura Harbor, Ventura(Ptgure 1, Photo 1). Admission10 the Visitor Center is free.Exhibits at the center includedetailed three-dimensionalmodels of the islands. anaudio-visual show and anisland photography display,Chumash Native Americanartifacts, an indoor tidepool.and a native island plantdisplay. Publications about theislands, maps, and nauticalcharts are available for pur'chase at the bookstore in theVisitor Center.

All five Channel Islands areaccessible by boat. Air transportation can be arranged toSanta Cruz Island. Arrangements for boat service 10 theislands may be made near theVisitor Center (National ParkService, 1984). The VisitorCenter is open daily from8;00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., butis closed on Thanksgiving.Christmas. and New Year'sDay. For additional information, write or call:

SuperintendentChannel Islands

National Park1901 Spinnaker DriveVentura, CA 93001(805) 644-8262The 1,250 square nauticalmile (I ,656 square statutemile) Channel Islands National

Marine Sanctuary that surroundsthe Channel Islands is administered by the National Oceanicand Atmospheric Administrationand is managed by the NationalPark Service in cooperation withthe California Department ofRsh and Game. Informationabout the sanctuary may beobtained by writing to the aboveaddress or by calling (805) 6 4 4 ~8464.

GEOLOGYHow did the Channel Islandsform? The islands were formedby volcanic processes and werefirst thrust above sea level as aresult of regional volcanismabout 14 million years agoduring the middle of the Miocene

epoch. It is probable that the

islands emerged from and sankbeneath the sea many limessince then. Faulting, sedimentary deposition, and erosionmade vast changes to thetopography of the islands sincetheir formation. Wind, waves,and rain sculptured the islands,giving them the rugged appearance they have today.

During the late Pleistocenethe four northern ChannelIslands-San Miguel. SantaRosa, Santa Cruz, andAnacapa-formed one largeisland geologists call~ S a n t a r o s a e . Santarosae wasinundated when sea level roseat the end of the Pleistocene.leaving only the highestelevations above water.

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Figure 1, locationmap of the Channel Islands NalJonal Park ViSitorCenler and Headquaners. The sile is reached from the Ventura Freeway(U.S. 101). Northbound viSitors eX11 at Victona Avenue; southboundviSitors eXII at seaward Avenue. Signs will dlrec! you fa the center.

REFERENCES

To U.S. 101 via ; : ; - r ) ; ~ _ v ~ ; a : : : ' " : ' a Avenue

Olivas ParkoSonve

Kurten. Bjorn. and Anderson. Elaine.1980. Pleistocene mammals ofNorth America: Columbia UniversityPress. p. 49-50.

National Park service. 1984. ChannelIslands NallOnal Park: U.S.Depanment of the IntenorGPOI1984-421-5781288. told-aliibrochure With maps at variousscales.

Over geologic time, specialadaptations were developed bysome surviving plants and animalson the Channel Islands. For thisreason. non-native plants andanimals introduced by man dUringthe late 1800s and early 1900sdevastated or endangered manynalive species. The National ParkService is currently restoring nativepopulations where possible.

VENTU-9: V E N T U R A'1Ac'/,/;./( '

N

\ 0( ' ?0 1 MileVenturaHarbor

Visitor Center andPark Headquarters

SpinnakerDrive

During the Pleistoceneepoch the flora and fauna ofSantarosae were muchdifferent than they aretoday. Pine and cypressforests flourished onSantarosae during thattime. A species of dwarfwooly mammoth(Mommuthus exilis)inhabited Sanlarosae duringthe Pleistocene and itsfossils have been found onSan Miguel, Santa Rosa,and Santa Cruz islands.This species has been foundonly on the ChannelIslands. It is probable thatthese mammoths firstreached Santarosae byswimming across the SantaBarbara Channel from themainland during one of theearly Pleistocene low sealevels. Over geologic timeadverse environmentalconditions fostered a reduction in the size of the mammoths and they developedinto a pygmy species thatwere about 7 to 8 feet high atthe shoulder. Paleontologistsbelieve that they evolved fromthe much larger Wisconsinanmammoth-which grew toabout 12 feet high at theshoulder (Kurten andAnderson, 1980).

During the 1960s and 1970sscientists conjectured thatSantarosae was connected tothe mainland. However. evenwhen sea level was at itslowest during the ice agesSantarosae was probably notconnected to the mainland(National Park Service,1984).

CALIFORNIA GEOlOGY JULY 1991'"


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ByTHOMAS H. JEFFERS. Chemical Engineer

U.S. Bureau of Mines

Using Microorganismsto Recover Metals

Biological processes have been used lorthousands 01 years to make cheese. wine.and beer. During the past lew hundred yearslhese processes have been employed toprocess sewage. Increasingly. microbes arebeing used to clean up a wide variety oftoxic chemical wastes thaI have beendumped inlo the enVIronment Scientists arecurrently examining the possible use ofmlCfobes 10 detoxify naturally occurring toxicseleniumbeanng water at the KestersonWildlife Aeluge. The mining alld mineralsindustries also use biological processes toremove impurities trom ores. cut procesSIngcosts, and treat some metallic ores thatpreviously were 100 difficult or 100 expensive10 process by traditional methods. In thisarticle. the term -mining industry" applies tothe extraction 01 ore whereas the term "minerals industry" applies to processing the ore.ApplICations 01 biotechnology in the miningand minerals industries are expected toincrease. This article is reprinted in part withpermission from the June 1991 Issue ofMmerals Today, published by the U.S. Bu-reau or Mines ....editor.

INTRODUCTIONA n essential strength of America'sindustrial base has been its mineralresource wealth. However. many of thenation's high-grade. easily exploitedmineral deposits have now been depleted. New technologies to recovermetallic values are needed for the UnitedStates to remain competitive in the global marketplace. while protecting Earth'sfragile environment.Biotechnology may be one answer tothis problem, Biotechnology can bedefined as the use of a biological sys-tem-!iving organisms-to achieve apractical purpose for mankind. Biological processes are already utilized bysome industries and playa significantrole every day by providing productionmethods for some foods, medicines. andother products.

Photo 1. Mining operations at theHomestake mine, Lead (pronounced/eedJ, South Dakota. About 400:000troy ounces of gold are producedIrom this mine annually. The minehas been in operation since 1876and is the longest continuouslyoperating gold mine in fhe world.The ore being mined at the bottom01 the cut is about 2 billion years oldaocl is a highly melamorphosed rockthat was originally marine clays,silts, sands, and limestones. Goldbearing lIulds were introducedbetween 30 and 60 million yearsago when molten igneousmassesintruded these ancient sediments.Photos by Don Dupras,

Many mineral deposits originatedbecause of natural biological activities.Geological processes were aided by bac-teria and other microorganisms duringthe formation of magnetite iron ores,ferro-manganese nodules, gold, andother metal deposits. In the future. bio-technology may enable the economicalrecovery of metals from low-grade ores.Other potential applications includetreating hazardous wastes to reduceenvironmental impacts. while recoveringa wide spectrum of metals from thewastes.

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MINING APPLICATIONSAlthough there is current interest inthe application of biotechnology to min-ing. biological processes for recoveringmetals have been used since ancienttimes. Copper was first recovered from

naturally leached deposits in China2.000 years ago. The biological leachingof copper from sulfide ores has beenpracticed for more than 300 years in theRio Tinto area of Spain. Bacterial in-volvement in modem leaching processeswas first reported in the late 1940swhen the bacterial species ThiobocillusferrOlcfdans was isolated in mine watersdraining from coal operations. This naturally occurring and widespread bacteriathrives in acidic environments and derives its food and energy from sulfjdeminerals. Scientists now recognize thatthis bacteria readily attacks sulfide minerals and is responsible for the release ofmetals from these sulfides into aqueoussolutions.Copper

From a mechanical standpoint, thebiological process of leaching copper isa simple. straightforward process. Rockcontaining too little copper to processe


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underground ore deposit. Bacteria al-ready present in the deposit would bestimulated to attack the minerals andsolubilize the tar-geted metals_ Wellswould transportenriched solutionsback to the surfacewhere the metalswould be recovered.As long as nutrientsare supplied. bacterial leaching wouldcontinue. After re-covery of the de-sired metals, bacterial activity and sub-sequent leachingcould be tenninatedby withholding thenecessary nutrients.Because only smallholes would bedrilled into the oredeposit for injectionand recovery wells,large scale disturbance of the surfaceand underlying arebody would not benecessary. Capital.energy. and laborcosts would therefore be lower thanthose associatedwith current extraction processes. andas with many otherbio-processes, ad-verse environmentaleffects would beminimal.Biosorption

Perhaps thegreatest potential ofbiotechnology in themining and minerals industries is inthe area of biological accumulation. or"bloaccumulation. of metals from diluteprocessing of streams and waste solu,lions. Hundreds of biological agentshave an inherent ability to extractsoluble metal ions from a wkie varietyof water-based solutions. Mechanisms01 metal adsorption include metal bind-ing to the cell walls of microbes. uptakeof metals into the microbe ceU, at,d re-duction 01 metals to less toxic fonns.Biological agents can adsorb metal ions

from cwn the most dilute solutions and,with the right conditions, can accumulate several times their own weight in

Photo 3. Whitewood Creek just east 01 Lead.Pnor to the mid 1970s this creek was knownby the local residents as "Cyanide Creek"because it was clogged with black sludgetailings waste that had been trealed withcyanide. The creek was an eyesore and wasmuch 100 polluted lor fish. Starting in the mid1970s Homestake mine began an elClensivereclamation program of Whitewood Creek.and since 1984 it has been an unpollutedtrout stream. To clean the creek, HomeslakemICrobiologists cuilivated a naturally occur-nog bactena species (Pseudomonousmudlock) that converts cyanide into harmless nitrates.

metal ions. Accumulated metals can berecovered from the organisms andrecycled into useful products. Thus.biosorption serves adual role of removinghannful metals fromthe environment andrecycling mineralsthai would otherwisebelosl.

Bioaccumulationprocesses have sev-eral potential advantages over existingtechnologies for re-moving metals fromwaste waters. Theseadvantages includegreater selectivity forspecific metal ions ina complex solution.the ability to treatvery dilute solutions.and lower costs dueto the availability ofinexpensive materials. For example.activated sludgesfrom sewage plants.by-products fromphannaceutical andfood processing operations. and naturally abundant mate'rials such as algaeand peat mosshave been usedin biosorptionprocesses,The commercialinterest inbloaccumulalion isreflected by the in,creasing number ofresearchers in thisfield. Effective biosorbents have beenidentified for mercury. lead. and othertoxic metals. A large part of the currentresearch effort is directed toward devel-oping practical systems for usingbiosorbents. Industrial applications ofthis technology in the mining sector willlikely occur within a few years; by theyear 1998 it is estimated that up toone third of all metal-related wastewater clean-up operations will involvebiological treatment processes.

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One promising technique being investigated by the Bureau of Mines is theimmobilization of non-living sphagnummoss, algae, and other materials in parous plastic beads. These materials extract toxic metal ions from a variety ofwaste waters and have excellent handling characteristics when used in conjunction with conventional waste watertreatment equipment. Systems using thebeads can treat large volumes of wastewater in a relatively small area.

Another approach uses natural bacteria cultured from mining and agricultural waters to treat tailings ponds. Thisresearch has resulted in laboratory processes that reduce selenium and othertoxic metal levels in waste waters. lt alsomay yield bacteria with more efficientcyanide detoxifying capabilities thanthose presently available. A chemicaloxidation procedure has been integratedwith the biological treatment circuit tocreate a unique process that has severalpotential applications in the miningindustry.

Recovery of gold and silver from dilute streams and solutions are otherbiosorption processes being activelydeveloped. In the case of gold. applications include bioaccumulation from min'ing waste waters, geothennal waters,and jewelry manufacturing waste. Algaeis the biosorbent most often used, butseveral species of bacteria also readilyadsorb gold. Bacteria also extract silverfrom photographic waste waters, Be-cause silver ions in these solutions arevery toxic if discharged into waterways.removal has an environmental benefit inaddition to the economic incentive,

Work is also under way to adaptbiosorption processes to recover uranium. zinc, and manganese from processing solutions. Recovery of metalsfrom solutions proouced during leaching

oflow-grade deposits is often difficultusing existing metallurgical techniques.By contrast. biological materials such asbacteria, fungi. and algae readily accumulate these metals from solutions.The tremendous potential of biotech

nology for the mining and metals industries will be realized only after extensiveresearch efforts are undertaken. Eventhe currently successful applicationsmust be supported by continued research and development if they are toremain competitive with non-biologicalprocesses. In many cases, efforts havebeen focused only on using availablebiological agents and processes. Whilethis approach has merit in some applications, little effort has been made to tailormicrobes and biological processes tospecific applications.Further research is needed in thestudy of basic bioleaching andbiosorplion mechanisms. Although procedures to use these processes arestraightforward. the underlying mechanisms are complex, Clarification of thesemechanisms would allow researchers tofocus on specific areas most likely toresult in successful applications for themining industry, One concern that needsto be addressed is to better understandthe rates of microbe activity during various stages in the process of bioleaching

sulfide minerals. It is intended that defining rate-limiting steps will lead to processes having faster reaction rates,Genetic Engineering

Genetic engineering offers the promise for developing microbes specificallysuited to the mining and minerals industries. Indeed. gene-splicing techniquesfor transferring genetic information fromone living organism to anolner are wellestablished. However, researchers arenot yet able to reproduce an organism

with a specific response (such as anenhanced ability to adsorb a particularmetal) by genetic manipulation. In thenear term, natural adaptation and careful selection of microbes are Ihe besthopes for obtaining organisms with thecapability of more rapid leaching,greater tolerance 10 hostile environments, and fev.Jer nutrient requirements.Natural selection is achieved in the laboratory by encouraging naturally occur'ring organisms to adapt to a particulartask through gradual acclimation.

Another area requiring additionalinvestigation is the Mscale-up" of laboratory data to more accurately predict theapplication of biotechnology under realworld conditions, Bioleaching processesin particular have been difficult to transfer to field situations, Impediments to thescaleup of laboratory experiments include limitations in reactor design, lackof mathematical models to predict fieldperfonnance. and lack of detailed economic information. However, theselimitations are being addressed and sev-eral biotechnological processes haveprogressed to pilot plant scale.

CONCLUSION

Perhaps the greatest challenge facingthe mining and minerals industries in theapplication of biotechnology is to f a m i l ~iarize these industries with biotechnological processes. The sciences of metallurgy and biology use widely differingtechniques and languages. Interdisciplinary approaches will be required tobridge this gap, In addition. the miningand minerals industries must be willing tomake long-tenn economic commitmentsto biotechnology. As in other scientificendeavors, most successes in biotechnology will not be inexpensive or quick.Only by making such a commitment canthe full potential of biotechnology berealized.X

'58 CALiFOANIAGeOLOGY JULY 1991


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A Page For Teachers

The Great Seal of CaliforniaThe Great Seal of the State of California is the impressionmade on ~ a l l commissions. pardons. and other public inslru

mems to which the signature of the Governor isr e q u i r e d . ~ It is similar to a notary public'sseal on civil documents

The design we se E todaywas adopted In October.1849 at the Constitutional Convention inMonterey. The convention was calledto discussCalifornia 'sstatehood_ Itwas d ec id edearly in theconventionthat a sealwas neededtomakedocumentsofficialAlthough thesea! has beenused since1849.ltwasnotuntil 1937 that alawwas passed establishing legalityofall the seals. pastand present_

The Journal of the Constitutional Co.nventlon conlaaned mISdescriptionof the GreatSeal

"Around the bend of the nng are representedthirty-one stars. being the nwnber of Sta tes of \A.-nich theUnion wUI consist upon the a d l T \ l ~ of California Theforeground figure represents the Cooddess Mmerva. having

CAUFORNIA GEOlOGY

sprung full grown from the brain of Jupiter. She is introoucedasa type of thepoliticalbirth of theStateof California. withouthaving gone through the probation of a territory. At

her feet crouches a grizzly bear feedingupon the dusters from a grapevine.emblematic of the peculiar characteristics of the country. Aminer is engaged wilh hisrocker and b


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DMG Release Special Publication 100

PLANNING SCENARIO FOR AMAJOR EARTHQUAKE, SANDIEGO-TIJUANA METROPOUTANAREA. By M.S. Reichle. J.E. Kahle.T.G. Atkinson. E.H. Johnson. R.A.Olson. H.J. Lagoria, K.v. Steinbrugge,L.S. Cluff. and T.P. Haney. and J.E.Powers. 190 p. $22.00.

Historically. the San Diego region hasbeen relatively free from the effects ofdestructive earthquakes. However. thereare severallaults passing through. or

close to. the San Diego metropolitanarea and principally include the RoseCanyon f


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Special Pubficalion 100 presents thep1ausble COIl5eQUeOces of a magnitude6.8 earthquake on the Siver Strandfault. The effects of this scenario earthquake will be most severe in the vicinity

of Mission Bay. San Diego Bay, and theria Juana River Valley. Buildings andother structures built on areas of Hok>cme alluvium end artificial fill betweenthe Tia Juana River Valley and doom.town San Diego will undergo substantial~ f.llrthq..ao:t.ke-trlggered groundfailure from liquefaction and settlementIs expected to be common in the vicinityof Mission Bay, Lorna Portal. and alongthe margins of San Diego Bay. Seismically induced landslides (especial.,.during the rainy season) are likely 10occur on sleep )lopes In the VIcinity ofPI. lorna. Mt. Soledad, Torrey PinesMesa. Murphy Canyon, and Olay Mesa.

Scenario maps show anticipatedseverity of damage in areas where/andsliding, liquefaction and similar typeso f ground falhJre effects IA.lll be caU$Edby the .scenario earthquake. Maps show-ing critical lifeline systems are superimposed on seismic intensitydistributionmaps 10 highlight facilities likely 10 un-cJe.go damage by the eanhquake. Ufelines that will be affected earthquakeshaldng in lhe San Diego-TIjuana melropolitan region include hospitals. schools.~ i c e and fire fighting facilities. airports.hIghways. marine facilities such as portsand docks. railroods. electrical J)O\WI'transnussion lines arxl sta!lOnS. natllalgas and Hquid petroleum facilities. waste\\.'ater systems. dams and potable watersystems. arxl communication facilities.

OMG EARTHQUAKE PLANNINGSCENAAIOSSpecial Publication 100 Is the (ifthearthquake planning scenario publlshodby th e Division of Mines arxl Geology

~ D M G I for expected major earthquakesIn densely urbanized regions of California. ~ DMG scenano includes mapsshov.ring the expecled distribution ofearthquake damage 10 lifeline facilitiesbased on r.eismoklgical. goo!ogical. andengineering consideratklns,The folowing fM! Division of Mines

and Geology earthquake planning scenarios are available for reference alDMGoffices in Sacramenlo. San Francisco and Los Angeles Copies may bepurchased either by prepaid mail orderor over-theo


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Field Trip GuidebooksThe Far Western Section of theNational Association of Geology

Teachers (FWS-NAGl) is offeringguidebooks for sale.Make checks payable to FWSNAGT. Order from: Larry Herber,Geological Sciences Department.California State Polytechnic University, 3801 West Teaple Avenue,Pomona. CA 91768. Tax is included in the price. Add $1.00postage and handling charge for

each $10.00 of your order. exceptfor slide sets, which a re $1.00 perorder.PREPAYMEl'IT REQUIRED

Bell. Dave, and Peterson, Martin,1981, Guidebook: Redding!oLassen Park. 10 p., $4.00.

Bykerk-Kaulfman. Ann, 1988,Suspect terrane exercises, 71 p.,$10.00; 36 slides of diagrams insuspect terrane exerdses,$40.00.

Collins. Lau'l'ence. 1989. Geologicexcursions In the greater LosAngeles area; (1) Adams, H. ,Field guide to St . Francis Damarea; (2) Barth, A., Ehlig. P., andWeigand, P., Field guide to SanGabriel Mountains; (3) Fischer,P., Schwartz, D.. Colburn, I., an:!Cherven, V.. Field guide tosubmarine fans in Santa MonicaMountains, Yorba Linda areaand San Clemente Slate Beach,85 p .. $8.00.

Colony, W., WrighlllL W.H.. andThrift. D., 1978, Earthquakecountry. Field guide forteacher's workshop, northsegment of San Andreas fault.44 p .. $5.00.

Curry, B.B., editor, 1983,Old Dad-Kelso Mountainsresource suroey, 477 p., 6 maps,$30.00.

Fowkes, E.J., 1963, Selected fieldtrips. Coalinga. California area,97 p. $10.00.Gaskin, Lori, compiler. 1988.Geologic excursions in theeastern Mojave Desert: stratigraphy, structure, and mineraliza'tion at Calico, eima Volcanics.and lake Man/x, 137 p., $8.00.

Greene, Patrick, editor. 1962,Guidebook to the recent Quaternary. Plio-Pleistocene andFranciscan geology of westernHumboldt County, California.65 p.. $6.00.

Gustafson, Bob, 1977. Mininghistory of the southern MotherLode, 11 p .. $5.00.Herber, Larry, 1985. Geology andgeothermal energy of the SaltonTrough, 171 p . $5.00.Hirschfeld, S.E.. editor. 1987. TheBlack Diamond Mines RegionalPreserve, and Ihe Hayward faultin Hayward and San Leandro.California, 83 p., $7.00.

Holleman, J .. and Spirakle. E.,1974, Oceanographic field trip.San Francisco Bay area. 31 p ..$3.00.Humnert, Betty. 1977. Visitor'sguide to the geology of MountDiablo, 39 p. , $4.00.Jacobson. Gary. editor, 1991,Geologic adventures in northernBop, California (Reid trip leaderswere Pat Abbott and GordonCastil), 34 p .. SI0.00.

Kate, T., Miller, D., BykertKauffman, A. Stensrud, H., andFisher. V.. 1990. Geology ofnortheast California. 56 p.,S8.00.Keller, E.A.. editor, 1981, Quaternary stratigraphy, soil geomorphology. chronology, andtectonics of Ihe Ventura. Ojal,and Santa Paulo areas, westernTransoerse Ranges, California,159 p. , $7 00

Korporal. A.H., Stadus, c.. and Lee.P., 1976, The San Andreas faultsystem-where East meetsWest: a teaching module, 39 p.,$4.00.

Lebow, R., editor, 1975, Threefield trips in southern California: (1) King. B.P.. San AndreasSan JacinlO faults; (2) Rowley.W.B., Pegmatite minerals; (3)Link, M .. Ecology of a coastalcommunity, 32 p., $5.00.

Level. H.R., 1982, Field guide /0Anacapa Island. VenturaCounty, Cali/ornia, 9 p. , $4.00.Level, H.R.. Goforth. 0., andRamelli, W. 1974, Geologicsites in Ventura County: ateacher's guide, 25 p., $4.00.Manning, J.e., 1973, Field trip /0areas of actiue faulting andshallow subsidence in thesouthern San Joaquin Valley,22 p .. $4.00.Meyer, G.L.. editor. 1979. Threefield trips to Coachella Valley.California: 0) Meyer and Norris.Aeolian features, landformsand tectonics of the SanAndreas fault in the indio Hi/Is:

'" CALIFORNIA GEOlOGY JULY 199\


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. . more Field Trip Guidebooks(2) Sylvester. A.G., Geologyand structure, Painted Canyon,Mecca Hills; and (3) Meyer andNorris, Martinez Mountainlandslide and prehistoric LakeCahuila, 58 p., $5.00.

Parrish, E.M., compiler, withFritsche. A.E., 1982, Guide tothe Sespe Creek Area, northernVentura County, California,31 p., $6.00.Pipkin, B.W., compiler, 1984. Fieldguide: Sanla Catolina Island:(I) Rowland, S. , Sorenson, S. ,Savrda. c., Bottjer. D.J.. andGorsline. D., Geology 0/ SantaCatalina Island and nearbybasins; (2) Pipkin, B.W., andLebow, R., Geology of SanPedro &sin, Los AngelesHarbor to Santa Catalina: adeep-sea field trip; (3) Givens,R , Nearshore marina biota.Santa Catalina Island. 76 p.,$9.00.

Pipkin. BW" Bryant. ME, andBaldwin, E.J., 1986. Geologyand landslides of the PalosVerdes Hills. California. 77 p.,$6.00.

Schweickert, R.A., and Rrby, J.R ..1985, (1) Field trip guide to thenorthern Sterra Neuada: (2) SeIJ-guiding photo tour oj geologicJeatures oj the Reno and LakeTahoe areas, Neoada andCaliJornia, 51 p.. $5.00.

Steller, Dorothy L., coordinator,1985. Robert Wallace WebbMemorial Symposium: (1)Quaternary slip rates andearthquake hazards; (2) Accretion along coastal Oregon andWashington; (3) BoreholeremOle sensing and microcomputer soJtware; (4) Arcmagmatism: (5) Seismic hazardanalysis: (6) Stretched pebbleconglomerates in theCaledonian pamdox, 51 p.,$4.00.

Threet, R.L., 1972. Some geologichazards and environmenialimpact oj developments in theSan Diego area. 45 p., $4.00.

Threet. R.L.. 1979, Field guide Jortwo trips in the Imperial Valley,CaliJornia: (1) Geomorphologyof western Salton Sink; (2) SanJacinto fault zone and BorregoMounlain earthquake of April16. 1978.42 p .. $5.00.

Trent, 0.0 .. 1990. Geology of thecentral Son Bernardino Mountains. southern California, 68 p.,$8.00.Wheeler, G. R.. editor, 1964. Two

field trips: (l ) Amundson, B.A.:Environmental geology of theSacramentoAuburn area; (2)Whe",ler, G.R.: Environmentalgeology and mining in theMother Lode. southeast ofSacramento, 81 p., $5.00.

Whistler, D.P., 1967. Geology ofRed Rock Canyon and thesouthern EI Paso Mountains.MOjave Desert. California. 16 p ..$5.00.

Woyski. M.S .. editor. 1981. Threegeology rood logs and text: (1)Eastern Puente Hills; (2) CoastalOrange County; (3) Coyote Hills,and Chevron's research andproduction facilities, 102 p.,$6.00.

35 mm Slide Sets (includes aerialand ground shots) (1) PointFermin and Portuguese Bendlandslides. 20 slides. $15.00.(2) Death Valley area, 35 slides,$40.00."

CALlFOflNII'l GEOLOGY JULY 1991'"


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The State Rock of California:SERPENTINE OR SERPENTINITE?

Barren serpentine ridge In the Siskiyou Mountains oflhe KlamathMountains Province of northwesl California. Serpentine pmfoundlyaffects vegetation: this serpentine ridge IS devoid of vegetalJon. Theforested area is underlain by gabbrQ and the vegetation IS luxunant

The usage of scrpcntin(! as a mineral name and serpentiniteas a rock name was proposed in 1936 and is widely acceptedtoday. Historically, serpentine has been used to refer fO boththe mineral group and the rock. There are other instanceswhere the same name is applied to a mineral and a rock. Dolo-mite. for example. is a magnesium carbonate mineral and isalso the name of a rock composed principally of that mineral.Many geologists are comfortable with using serpentine infor-mally in conversation as a rock and a mineral name. but usethe rock name serpentinite In formal publlcatlons. TIle officialstate rock of California is serpentine. To some. the word ser-pentine is more euphonious than serpentinite. Perhaps this iswhy serpentine is often used conversationally. In any case. theuse of serpentine as a rock name has historical prececlpnt:therefore. it is correct although it may not be the most widelyaccepted usage today. ByDavid L. Wagner,Y

~ _ . ....

- ' ~ _-.n:.-'

--

Block or serpentine on the Carson Ridge, north 01 Mount Tamalpaisin Marin County. serpentine is derived from alteration 01 ultramaficrock known as peridotite.

Recently a reader questioned the use of the term serpentinein an article on Ring Mountain that appeared in the May 1991issue of CALIFORNiA GEOLOGY. As the reader pointed out.modem glossaries of geology usually define serpentine as agroup of minerals (chrysotile. Iizardile. and antigorite). whereasthe term serpentinile is applied to a rock composed of serpen-tine minerals.

The official stale rock of California. serpentine. is abundantin central and northern California. 11 occurs in manyforms. but it is most cobrful and distinctive when it displays

shiny surfaces in various shades of green and blue. Serpentineis considered by many scientists to be derived from the Earth'smantle. beneath its crust. For this reason. the distribution givesgeologists clues 10 the tremendous crustal displacements thathelped form and elevate the present day landscape of theCoast Ranges. Sierra Nevada and Klamath Mountains.

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G o Hydlology

STATE ZI. --1CIT'l - l

..... T;.;;OTAL AMOUNT ENCLOSED; $CALIFORNIA GEOLOGY SUBSCRIPTIONS

ADDRESS FORM FOR ALL ORDERS IPlease print or type. IPAYMENTMUSTBE INCLUDED WITH ORDERNAME -- lADDRESS ---!

Our dependence on water is becoming more and more apparent. We canno longer take ils availability and qualityfor glimted. During this century manyof the rural areas have become urbanor suburban and the people have Jesscontact with the natural environment.The public has more access to thedecision-making processes related tohydrologic issues and therefore mayneed some expkon"tion of the hydro-logic cycle. This text is a non-technicalapproach to the study of the movementand storage of water. It is a study of thehydrologic environment in its naturalstate. The understanding of the interactions of these events is essential to theunderstandIng of our impact on theenvironment. The reader is introducedto the fundamental precept of watershedhydrology, what occurs in a streamcannot be considered independently ofwhat occurs on the watershed. thesource of surface water. subsurfacewater. and ground-water runoff. Theurbanization of rurallancls results inchanges in the processes that movewater in and out of storage. Flooding.subsidence. and water quality becomemajor concerns. so effective watershedmanagement becomes imperative.

WATERSHED HYDROLOGY. ByPeter E. Black. 1991. Prentice Hall.Ordel DePlllrtment. 200 Old TappanRoad. Old Tappan. NJ 07675. 432 p.$39.00. hard cover.

the actual discovery of gold. the ensuinggold rush. and the effects these eventshad on the world. He gives a history ofthe mill and a brief description of earlymining techniques. He describes thefortunes and misfortunes of JamesMarshall and John Suller. men madefamous by the gold discovery. and of theMormons. the Chinese. and the NativeAmericans. Rnally. he gives an overviewof Coloma as an 1850s mining metropolis and as the presenHiay site of theMarshall Gold Discovery State HistoricPark. Color and black-and-white photos.reproductions of various VJOrks of art.and excerpts from diaries depicllife inCalifornia during the mining days. Photosand a map of historic sites in Colomaalustrate the town as it is today.

The year 1848 marks an importantplace in California history. The discov-ery of gold at John $utter"s lumber millin the Sierra Nevada foothlils led notonly to the loording of Coloma and theadmission of California to the Union butalso to a wave of change that swept thenation and affected the IN'hole world.William C. Dillinger gives an account 01

THE GOLD DISCOVERY: JamesMarshall and theCalifornia Gold Rush.By William C. Dillinger. 1990. California Department of Parks and Recreation, Publications Section, Room 118,P.O. Box 942896. Sacramento. CA94296.47 p. $6.95, paper cover. Add$1.00 shipping for each book, and7.75% sales lax for California addresses.

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o RENEWAL: To receive your magazine continuously. send in renewal 60 days beloreexpiration date shown on your address label. (Example: EXP9112 meansthat the sUbscllption expires on receipt o! December 1991 issue.) PleOlseenclose address label from past issue. Without an address l a b e ~ renewalsubscriptions win take 3 to 4months to process:::;._=-..-, ~ _ . , . . ...CAliFORNIA GEOLOGY renewals only. 'ill In In!OllmtlOfl 'rom your m a i ~ n g l ~ b e l OIaltadl a labelIrom a pasl issoe.

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Each chapter is based on one ofseven principles governing watermovement and storage. Hydrologicterminology and broad relationshipsare covered in the introductory chapter.Each of the next five chapters examinesa different pan of the environment.namely the energy sphere. the atmosphere. the biosphere. the lerrasphere.the hydrospMre. and the culturalsphere. Eleven complex concepts linkthese spheres and are used to explainthe behavior of hydrologic systems.The final chapter addresses watershedmanagement.X

YOUI ordellsubscoplion C81'U1Ol be Plocessecl LJnless couecc amounl is relTUllad. All '0'8'\1n andCanadian Ofde!s must be pilId Wlth an Inlematlonal t.4oney Order Of Dralt payable in Unf.ed States1unds to: Division 01 MInes an d Geology. Add.ess all orders 10: DIVISION OF MINES AND GEOLOGY. IPOBox 2980. sac.amento. Calilomla 958122980.- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ~". CAliFORNIA GEOlOGY JULY 1991


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DMG Release SPECIAL PUBLICATION 108SEISMIC HAZARD INFORMATIONNEEDS OF THE INSURANCE INDU5-TRY.LOCALGOVERNMENT,ANDPROPERTY OWNERS IN CALIFOR-

NIA. An Analysis. By Richard Holdenand Charles R. Real. 83 p. $7.00.The Department of ConselVation'sDivision of Mines and Geology was

directed by the Legislature to design aprogram that will provide improvedinformation on seismic hazards to thepublic, local government. and theinsurance industry. SPI08 provides thisinformation. The study involved threeprincipal tasks: II an assessment of lheinformation needs of the beneficiaries.2) identification of the methods andtechnology required to produce thespecific information desired. and 3)evaluation of the adequacy of existinggeoscience information needed toproduce the products. The conclusionsare summarized as follows:

Collapse of a residence in Los Gatos dunng the 1989loma Prieta earthquake. The cripplewalls" 01 this old woodframe house were unable to withstand the level 01 ground shakingexperienced 14 miles Irom the epicenter. Recognition 01 potential seismic hazards andappropriate retrofitting could have greatly reduced losses. Photo from EarthquakeEngmeering Researcfllnsriture.

Collapsed residence in the SantaCruz Mountains which is situated on the head of a landslidecaused by the 1989loma Prieta earthquake. Geological investigations priof to constructionmay have revealed evidence of previous landslides. and informed the owner of potential risksat the site. Photo from Earthquake Engineering Research Instirute.

Improved seismic hazards information woukl be used by insurancecompanies, local governments, andproperty owners. The data needs ofeach of these groups are different butcould be accommodated within a singleprogram.

A special study zone approachused to delineate severe groundshaking. liquefaction. and landslidehazards may provide useful informationto insurers, local governments. andproperty owners. Seismic HazardsStudies Zones (SHSZs) would providelocal governments with a focused policyinstrument for improving safety ofdevelopment. Disclosure to prospectiveproperty purchasers of SHSZs wouldassist the real estate market in settingmore appropriate prices for propertiesin hazardous areas and support localgovernments' desire to discouragedevelopment in hazardous areas.

CALIFORNIAGEOLOGY JULY 1991 '"


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51A1E OF CALIFORNIATHE RESOURCES AGENCYDEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATIONCALIFORNIA GEOLOGY

DIVISION OFMINES AND GEOLOGYP.O. BOX 2980SACRAMENTO. CALIFORNIA 958122980

USPS 3S0 840ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED

Finally, the insurers' desire for identifying relative levels of hazard severitywould be supported by maps andinformation which delineate the extremehigh-hazard areas.

A SHSZ program should includethe following components: (I) delineating high-hazard areas, (2) requiring localgovernments to make SHSZs part ofgeneral planning and land suitabilitydeterminations, (3) conditioning alldevelopment within SHSZs on completion of special site studies which detailthe hazard and mitigation, and (4)requiring early disclosure 10 prospectiveproperty purchasers of the existence ofSHSZs. Other hazard zone measures may

be adopted which will enhance theeffectiveness of a SHSZ program. Thesemeasures include: (1) conditioning futureState disaster assistance on adoption ofmitigation planning and hazard reduction measures by local govemment. (2)establishing provisions for assessmentsof fees in SHSZs. and (3) requiringadoption of reconstruction ordinances.

General methods are available todelineate. on a statewide basis, theexistence of ground shaking, l i q u e f a c ~tion, and landslide hazards. There existsa wealth of private and public datawhich can be cost-effectively employedto support mapping these hazards.

SECOND CLASS POSTAGE PAIDAT SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA

Delineation of hazards by the State:(1) consistent with protecting the State'sinterests, (2) efficiently accomplishedby a State level organization. and(3) ensures coordination betweenjurisdktions.:>::'

Collapse of a residence in Watsonville dunng the 1989 Lorna Prieta eanhquake. Closeproximity to the e p ! C ~ m t e r and solt allUVial Sediments resulted in severe ground shaking in theWatsonville area. Pharo by John K. Nakara. U.S. Geological Survey.

california geology magazine july 1991

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