Directions:
You can just park right by the beach and access the beach directly when you arrive at La Jolla Shores Beach.
Fossils:
Submitter found in the ocean at La Jolla Shores just south of Torrey Pines in San Diego. Hasn’t identified it and is looking for guidance. Object is around 1”x1”. Any insight on this specimen and the imprints on it appreciated.
Submitted July 24, 2019.
Found coming up from the surface of ash and fine rock deposits in Elk Grove. Unsure what they might be.
Geology: Very similar to that of other Ventura fossil sites such as:
Coal Point: link
Rincon Point: link
Ojai Trails: link
Sespe Wilderness: link
Paleontology: Black fossil bone about 14-15 inches long, which was found in a layer of sand that was cut into by the waves, was submitted on November 18th, 2016.
Other: If you have any input that would help identify the fossil, feel free to contact us and we will update this find.
Geology:
The Sespe Wilderness lies within the Transverse Mountain Ranges. The USGS has information on the geological setting of the mountain range province here. More specifically, the Sespe Wilderness and Sespe Condor Sanctuary are mostly within the Topatopa Mountains and foothills. The Topatopa Range is composed of Oligocene-Eocene age sandstones of the Juncal, Matilija, Cozy Dell, and Coldwater Formations. The uplifting of the Topatopa Mountains was chiefly caused by the San Cayetano fault, which was initiated at 1.9 Ma.
The fossils in the Sespe Wilderness are incredibly common and can be found on the trail and in the abundant boulders nearby. Marine shells can be seen exposed on the outside of eroded and smooth boulders, and on the surface of the rotated strata of the foothills.
Paleontology:
A variety of marine invertebrates are common in the area, including mussels, oysters, cephalopods, and other shelled organisms.
Other Fossil Sites Nearby:
Coal Point: link
Rincon Point: link
Ojai Trails: link
Surfer’s Knoll: link
Works Cited:
MCKAY, HANNAH. QUATERNARY STRATIGRAPHY AND GEOLOGIC EVOLUTION OF OJAI AND UPPER OJAI VALLEYS, WESTERN TRANSVERSE RANGES, CALIFORNIA. P.2011
Geology of the Area:
The cliffside of this beach contains shale from the Monterey Formation. The fossiliferous shale dates back to the Miocene epoch. There are talus slopes in many areas created by folded and slanted strata. 
Be careful of falling shale from the cliffside. Although it poses a hazard, the fallen rocks are more convenient to split than extracting shale from the outcropping. Split fishes can be found near the bottoms of the formation. Additionally, petrified whale bone has been recovered on the beach.
As you can see in the figure above, three prominent outcroppings jut out from the Monterey formation, marked 1, 2, and 3 on figures B and C above. Figure A shows that Jalama Beach, to the left of Gaviota, is part of the Monterey Formation bearing marine Miocene fauna, and Oligocene rocks are found more inland.
Paleontology:
Fossil fish and petrified whale bone are in the outcroppings.
Use this Stanford Study of Lompoc Fossil Fishes to identify your fish finds.
Works Cited:
David Jordan, et.al, “Fossil Fishes of Diatom Beds of Lompoc, California,” (Stanford University, 1920)
Images: “Jalama Beach,” (The Nautiloid Network) www.nautiloid.net
Kathleen Surpless, et.al, “Evolution and stratigraphic architecture of marine slope gully complexes: Monterey Formation (Miocene), Gaviota Beach, California,” (Trinity University, March 27, 2007)
These oysters were found on the Huntington trail. They are part of the Topatopa strata, which is dominantly marine in origin. The Topatopa Range is composed of Oligocene-Eocene age sandstones of the Juncal, Matilija, Cozy Dell, and Coldwater Formations. The uplifting of the Topatopa Mountains was chiefly caused by the San Cayetano fault, which was initiated at 1.9 Ma. The fossils were found in slightly consolidated, matrix- and clast- supported, pebble-boulder conglomerate ground from the Topatopa Mountains.
Chunk of mussel-dense rock
Example of Mussel Extracted
The Cenozoic bivalves were likely to have become extinct in the Pliocene mollusc extinction in California and particularly in the Etchegoin Group that occurred due to falling sea levels and the subsequent cooling of California waters. The mussels are dark blue and have a black sheen when wet. The specimens were hypothesized to be composed of calcium carbonate, which was reinforced by a Hydrochloric Acid test which dissolved it. The fossil have the appearance of regular oysters, and are shaped by concave contours.They were found in clusters, each facing random directions. There appears to be no pattern in their orientation or size.
Other Fossil Sites Nearby:
Coal Point: link
Rincon Point: link
Sespe Wilderness: link
Surfer’s Knoll: link
California Fossil Sites 