Session #6: A Field Trip
to Explore the Central California Coastal Region
Overview:
Within a short drive of downtown San Francisco, we
are able to see some of the most biologically and geologically diverse
regions in California. This field trip is designed to demonstrate
this diversity and to illustrate the interactions among the lithosphere,
hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere that are responsibility of
the beauty of the Marin Headlands and the Pt Reyes National Seashore.
At each stop, teachers were asked to study the exposed rocks and
to find evidence of their history. What characteristics help to
identify the rocks as sedimentary, igneous, or metamorphic? What
is the geologic history of these rocks from their initial formation
to their current location and configuration?
The map below indicates the four primary stops of the field
trip:
Stop #1: the pillow
basalts of the Golden Gate Seashore
Stop #2: the lighthouse
at Drake’s Head
Stop #3: Drake’s
Beach
Stop #4: the Marin
Headlands
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to view images of each of these sites and to learn about their geologic
history.