What mountains are in Santa Monica?

What mountains are in Santa Monica?

The Santa Monica Mountains is a coastal mountain range in Southern California, next to the Pacific Ocean. It is part of the Transverse Ranges. Because of its proximity to densely populated regions, it is one of the most visited natural areas in California.

How big are the Santa Monica Mountains?

3,110′
Santa Monica Mountains/Elevation

What is Santa Monica Mountains known for?

The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area preserves one of the best examples of a Mediterranean climate ecosystem in the world. It also protects one of the highest densities of archaeological resources in any mountain range in the world.

How were the Santa Monica Mountains formed?

Starting about 24 million years ago (Oligocene), the Farallon Plate began to subduct beneath the North American Plate. This process known as subduction was a catalyst in the driving force that created our mountains, our volcanoes!

Where are the Santa Monica Mountains?

Santa Monica Mountains, mountain range in southern California, U.S., extending east-west for about 40 miles (64 km), paralleling the north shore of Santa Monica Bay.

Is Santa Monica hilly?

Geography. The city of Santa Monica rests on a mostly flat slope that angles down towards Ocean Avenue and towards the south. High bluffs separate the north side of the city from the beaches.

What is the highest peak in the Santa Monica Mountains?

Sandstone Peak
Santa Monica Mountains/Highest point

What kind of rock are the Santa Monica Mountains?

sedimentary rocks
The sedimentary rocks underlying the Santa Monica Mountains in the Malibu area are generally highly folded and complexly faulted, making their stratigraphic interpretation very difficult for geologists (Yerkes and Campbell, 1979).

What animals live in the Santa Monica Mountains?

Over 45 mammal species can be found in the Santa Monica Mountains, and they range in size from shrews, which weigh less than one ounce, to mountain lions weighing up to 150lbs. However most of these are smaller mammals such as squirrels, gophers, mice, rats, rabbits, and insectivores such as bats, shrews, and moles.

How did Los Angeles mountains form?

Over millions of years, movement of the Earth’s tectonic plates caused the underlying rock to rise. By 8 million to 9 million years ago the volcanoes somehow were sheared off and slid downslope 6 to 12 miles. The rock eventually formed the northern edge of the Los Angeles Basin.

What are the mountains in LA called?

The San Gabriel Mountains (Spanish: Sierra de San Gabriel) are a mountain range located in northern Los Angeles County and western San Bernardino County, California, United States.

Is Los Angeles hilly?

Los Angeles is both flat and hilly. The highest point in the city proper is Mount Lukens at 5,074 ft (1,547 m), located at the northeastern end of the San Fernando Valley. Surrounding the city are much higher mountains.

Where are the Santa Monica Mountains in Los Angeles?

Geography. The eastern mountains form a barrier between the San Fernando Valley and the Los Angeles Basin, separating “the Valley” on the north and west-central Los Angeles on the south. The Santa Monica Mountains are parallel to Santa Susana Mountains, which are located directly north of the mountains across the San Fernando Valley.

Where are the creeks in the Santa Monica Mountains?

A number of creeks in the Santa Monica Mountains are part of the Los Angeles River watershed. Beginning at the western end of the San Fernando Valley, the river runs to the north of the mountains. After passing between the range and the Verdugo Mountains it flows south around Elysian Park, defining the easternmost extent of the mountains.

How big is the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area?

The Woolsey Fire in November 2018 burned 83% of all National Park Service land in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. The Santa Monica Mountains NRA contains 156,671 acres (63,403 ha) in the Santa Monica Mountains of the Transverse Ranges between the Pacific Ocean and inland valleys.

How tall is the highest peak in the Santa Monica Mountains?

Volcanic intrusions have been exposed, including the poorly named andesitic “Sandstone Peak”, which is the highest point in the range at 3,111 feet (948 m). Malibu Creek, which eroded its own channel while the mountains were slowly uplifted, bisects the mountain range.