#3 California Geology

March 23, 2012

Geology

• Mountains

– Two Primary Ranges: Sierra Nevada, Coast Ranges

• Central Valley

– Primary Agricultural Region

• San Andreas Fault

– Transform Boundary between the Pacific and North American Plate

• Subduction Zone

– Subduction of the Juan de Fuca plate in northern California causes volcanic activity

Natural Resources

• Mineral Resources

– Industrial: Sand & Gravel, Cement

– Metallic: Gold, Silver, Iron

• Energy Resources

– Oil, Geothermal, Solar

• Soil

– Farming in the Central Valley

Water Resources

• Sources

– Precipitation, groundwater

• Most precipitation falls in N. Cal, most population is in S. Cal.

• Aqueducts transport water to where it is needed

• 80% of water in the state is used by agriculture

Natural Hazards

• Tsunamis

• Earthquakes

• Mass movement

• Volcanoes

• Flooding

Questions

• CA6: Reading CheckPoint

• CA11: # 2, 3

• CA19: #1-3

• CA31: # 5, 15, 17