HARTMAN MULTIMEDIA
Nature Based Multimedia Information Systems
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HARTMAN MULTIMEDIA
Nature Based Multimedia Information Systems |
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At the Wheeler Gorge the north fork of the Ventura River
flows through a steep-sided canyon which exhibits a variety of geological
features. Particularly well
displayed here is the Matilija overturn where Eocene formations lie below
Cretaceous rocks. The Juncal formation, an Eocene gray shale with some
sandstone, is the lowest unit of the overturned section. This formation stops a
few meters north of the south tunnel and the disconformable base of dark, limy
shale, the Eocene Sierra Blanca member, is in contact with Cretaceous shale. Between the middle and north tunnel, Cretaceous
conglomerates and interbedded dark shales are exposed. A few meters north of the
north tunnel the Santa Ynez fault crosses the highway. Here, overturned to the
vertical, Cretaceous conglomerate and underlying black shale lie in fault
contact with the Eocene Coxy Dell formation. An excellent example of current bedding is found in the
thin sandstone layers within the Cretaceous shales just north of the north
tunnel. Further north the rocks are in their normal stratigraphic position. Ammonites dating to the Cretaceous have been found in
the area. Integrity: A highway with three tunnels cuts through the
area. Use: Research, educational, observational, present. July 1982
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