Location: 34°13’38.9″N 119°15’44.3″W
Submitted: May 15, 2020.
Fossil: “Weathered gastropod found in cobble pile”
More information on this find can be found at Surfer’s Knoll.
Category: Santa Barbara
Guide to Finding Fossils at Rincon Point
Directions:
According to this page’s first citation, ” from LA, travel north on the Ventura Freeway (101) towards Ventura. Travel about an hour, north towards Santa Barbara. Exit onto Highway 150 (towards Lake Casitas) and park immediately after leaving Route 101. The fossils are found along the freeway offramp and up the hill above.”
Geology of the Area:
Rincon Point is a famous surfing spot on the border of Santa Barbara and Ventura County. The fossils of Rincon Point are found off a freeway cut that exposes 16 different layers of Santa Barbara Formation strata. Santa Barbara County was underwater for most of Earth’s history, but slowly rose to the surface during the Cenozoic Era, especially as a result of the Miocene dated tectonic movements that created the San Andreas Fault.
Fossils:
Pliocene-Pleistocene dated fossils are abundant in the sediments off the freeway. The fossils are marine fauna including invertebrates such as bryozoa, mollusks, gastropods, and Pecten.
Other Fossil Sites Nearby:
Coal Point: link
Ojai Trails: link
Sespe Wilderness: link
Surfer’s Knoll: link
Works Cited:
Gary Kindel, “Fossil Collecting Sites in North America,” (Digital Rockhound’s Companion Site 2009) http://www.digitalrockhound.blogspot.com
“US and Canadian Fossil Sites — Data for California” http://donaldkenney.x10.mx/STATES/CA.HTM
“Offshore Geology of Santa Barbara County” (County of Santa Barbara Planning and Development ) http://www.sbcountyplanning.org
Where to Find Fossils at Coal Point, Isla Vista
Geology: The fossiliferous layers are part of an unnamed Pleistocene formation. Once you park, walk down to the beach and look for the sedimentary rocks on the beach cliff. However, the geology of the area should be similar to the Monterey formation which contains both Gaviota Beach, and Jalama Beach.
Fossils: The layers of sandstone contain marine assemblages from the Pleistocene epoch.
Other Fossil Sites Nearby:
Rincon Point: link
Ojai Trails: link
Sespe Wilderness: link
Surfer’s Knoll: link
Where to Find Fossils on Gaviota Beach
Geological History of the Area:
The area of the Gaviota and El Capitan State Beaches contain a series of folds such as the Gaviota Offshore Fold trend which suggests the area is by the Eagle fault and has experienced pressure. Six hydrocarbon (oil) seeps have been found at the El Capitan- Gaviota shelf. During early Miocene time, calcareous plankton dominated this basin fill, but by the middle Miocene, the expansion of the East Antarctic ice sheet led to intense upwelling in eastern boundary current areas. The shelf from which the specimens were collected from is part of the Monterey formation and is riddled with a series of marine gullies. The beach-bordering segments are part of the El-Capitan-Gaviota Continental Shelf.
Fossils:
Found in Shale Fragments off Cliffside
Split from Sandstone in Cliffside
Gaviota Beach
California Fossil Sites 