Next Meeting: Tuesday, May 15th, 2012
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"Cretaceous-Cenozoic Plate Tectonic Events in Western North America andtheir Roles in the Geological Evolution of Southern California"
Tanya Atwater
Professor Emeritus
UC Santa Barbara,
Abstract:
The geological history of Western North America is dominated by plate tectonic relationships along the Pacific rim. The Sierran subduction zone, the Laramide orogeny, the early Cenozoic ignimbrite sweep, the Columbia River basalts and Yellowstone hotspot, Basin Range expansion, and, of course, the establishment of the San Andreas plate boundary, all were caused by or deeply influenced by plate tectonic events. In this broad-brush animated lecture, we will examine these various events and consider how they marked our landscapes in the western U.S. and, especially, how they influenced the evolution of features in southern California.
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