Devils Punchbowl

Map Satellite

The Devil's Punchbowl lies immediately southwest of the San Andreas Fault Zone and, in the southerly portion of the area, is transected by the Punchbowl Fault. It is the type locality of the Miocene Punchbowl Formation, primarily nonmarine conglomerate sandstone with some siltstone and shale. Predominantly pink and red, there are interbeds of buff, brown and green rocks. The deposits are folded into an asymmetric west-plunging syncline and have been eroded along the dip slopes to form spectacularly carved hogbacks and other formations. This syncline is easily visible when overlooking the area. Fault features are evident especially as fault-faceted ridge spurs of the mountain front.

A variety of fossils has been found in the Formation, including fossil horses, Pliohippus and Neohipparion, camel, Procamelus, antelope, Pliocerus, weasel, Plionictis, and a bone-crunching dog, Osteoborus.

Situated on the desert slope of the San Gabriel Mountains, five plant communities occur here. In the lower reaches is a juniper woodland, with Juniperus californica dominant. Along the creeks there is a riparian woodland with sycamore, Platanus racemosa, white alder, Alnus rhombifolia, Fremont cottonwood, Populus fremontii, and willow, Salix sp.

In the mid-elevations, as an understory in the pinyon pine woodland, there is "desert" chaparral, much less dense than the coastal chaparral. Indicator species include scrub oak, Quercus sp., manzanita, Arctostaphylos glauca, flannelbush, Fremontodendron californicum, redberry, Rhamnus crocea var. ilicifolia, and yucca, Yucca whipplei. About 70 percent of the area is covered by the chaparral and pinyon pine woodland. In the latter the dominant species is the single-leaved pinyon, Pinus monophylla.

On the upper slopes, in the higher elevation, is a mixed conifer forest with Jeffrey pine, Pinus jeffreyi, Coulter pine, Pinus coulteri, incense cedar, Calocedrus decurrens, and big-cone Douglas fir, Pseudotsuga macrocarpa.

Animal life is abundant and varied.

Integrity: Aside from the headquarters and associated buildings and trails, the area is virtually undisturbed.

Use: Research, educational., observational, present.

Ref: Woodburne, M. O., 1975. Late Tertiary Non Marine Rock, Devil's Punchbowl. In Spec. Report 118, San Andreas Fault in So. Calif., ed. John Crowell, pp. 187 - 196, Calif. Div. of Mines, Sacramento.

December 1979