Lone Tree Point
Map SatelliteOn the cliff face at the Point, the effects of the underlying trend of coastal uplift on the composition of ecosystems are well illustrated. The oldest formation, which today lies near the water level, dates to the Upper Miocene and is of the San Pablo group. It is composed of fine to coarse sandstones and gravels with shale interbeds.
In the fossiliferous strata a variety of pectens is found in abundance. This community inhabits relatively deeper water than the other two communities visible today. Above the pecten community, in Pleistocene sandstones, is found a shallow-water oyster community known as the Rodeo fauna. These communities may be compared, at low tide, with the present-day mussel-oyster community found here.
Integrity: The area has been extensively collected and there is a commercial development adjacent. Several educational institutions have used the area for many years.
Use: Private
November 1975
Inventory of California Natural Areas
Revision © 2009 Steven Louis Hartman