Premium Only Content

Rock Outcrop Along the Stevens Canyon Trail
An up close look at a bedrock outcrop on the North American side of the San Andreas fault and the Canyon Trail in Montebello Open Space Preserve.
Sorry about the video quality, my camera was having issues with the difficult lighting conditions.
The surface rocks along the stretch of the Canyon Trail where USGS shows the creek flowing are almost all angular. Aside from some minor rounding from decades of hoot, horse and bicycle travel, the rocks are all sharp and angular. This is in contrast to the well rounded rocks found in the bed of Stevens Creek. Also, many of the rocks in Waterwheel Creek proper are coated in Travertine from the minerals dissolved in that water.
Rock outcrop may be a Greenstone or similar type of metamorphosed basalt of the Franciscan Complex:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franciscan_Complex
I was hoping to find a sedimentary rock to look at layering, but that type of rock is not as common on this side of the fault.
Geologic Analysis Of The Monte Bello Ridge Mountain Study Area paper:
https://fbdroch.com/book/environmental-geologic-analysis-of-the-monte-bello-ridge-mountain-study-area-santa-clara-county-california
From that paper:
"TECTONIC BLOCKS - Large angular to rounded, commonly elliptically shaped masses of relatively hard rocks surrounded by a clay-rich, sheared matrix. Occurs within shear zones and fault gouge. In the shear zones of the Franciscan rocks, these blocks range from "fist size" to masses more than one mile long."
USGS National Map Viewer w/ Hill Shade:
https://apps.nationalmap.gov/viewer/
About the USGS HTMC:
https://www.usgs.gov/programs/national-geospatial-program/historical-topographic-maps-preserving-past
View/download maps on the TopoView site:
https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/topoview/
Section of single track Canyon Trail built in 1990:
https://www.trailcenter.org/newsletter/2000/winter2000/winter2000-19f.htm
Future plan: I want to try to hike along the top of the ridge between the Canyon Trail and Stevens Creek between the Table Mtn. and Grizzly Flat trails. I'm hoping there might be some exposed sedimentary rock outcrops up there that might show if this block has been tilted in the past.
More to come...
Subscribe for more content like this
Comment, rate, share & click the bell icon
And as always, thanks for watching
#USGS #HillShade
-
LIVE
Timcast
1 hour agoLiberals Claim TRUMP DIED Or Is Dying And Will RESIGN Today At 2pm
22,976 watching -
LIVE
The Dilley Show
1 hour agoChicago in the Crosshairs, Grifters Crash Out and More! w/Author Brenden Dilley 09/02/2025
4,948 watching -
LIVE
Steven Crowder
3 hours ago🔴 The CDC Exodus: RFK Forces Self-Purge of the Corrupt Elite
24,903 watching -
LIVE
The Rubin Report
2 hours agoDave Rubin Can’t Believe This Happened While He Was Off the Grid | Jillian Michaels Guest-Hosts
1,983 watching -
LIVE
The Mel K Show
1 hour agoMORNINGS WITH MEL K - Liberty, Privacy, Sovereignty & Justice: The Battle Ahead 9-2-25
894 watching -
18:52
Colion Noir
1 day agoCourt Rules You Don't Need AR-15s For Self Defense, Mayor's Message If You Love Kids Ban AR-15s
40.3K150 -
LIVE
The Shannon Joy Show
1 hour agoKicking And Screaming … Trump FINALLY Admits Operation Warp Speed MAY Have Been A Complete Failure
280 watching -
LIVE
Grant Stinchfield
52 minutes agoCOVID VAX SECRETS: BIG PHARMA PANICS AS TRUMP DEMANDS THE TRUTH!
128 watching -
LIVE
LFA TV
6 hours agoLFA TV ALL DAY STREAM - TUESDAY 9/2/25
5,023 watching -
1:01:26
VINCE
4 hours agoShockwaves in the Swamp Over Trump's Latest Move | Episode 116 - 09/02/25
187K122