Cenozoic setting: transition from subduction to transform, erosion of Nevadan volcanic arc, Great Valley Sea, Lake Clyde
Explain the relationship between the Nevada batholith (volcanic arc), the Central Valley, and the Coast Range during the Mesozoic. What types of rocks make up each region, and how did they form?
What is an ophiolite? Describe the sequence of rocks typically found in an ophiolite.
What is mélange? What kind of rocks does it contain? Where does it form? How does mélange control the landscape in San Francisco and the Coast Range?
Explain how turbidites form and why they contain graded bedding. Where are they found in California?
Explain why the Central Valley is a large, solid mass of yellow/green on the map. What kind of rocks are these? When and how did they form? What was their tectonic setting?
Describe the ways in which the San Andreas fault has affected the rocks of the Coast Range and coastal California. Cite specific examples.
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