EES103 History of Torrey Sandstone Report

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American Public University *

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103

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Geology

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Oct 30, 2023

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1 History of Torrey Sandstone National University EES103A Fundamentals of Geology Lab History of Torrey Sandstone Introduction

2 The Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve in San Diego, California is full of beautiful scenery, beaches, and different rock formations that extend East from the coastline to the base of the mountains. Fragments of older rocks and particles have caused layers up layers and keep the secrets of 60 million years of geologic history. The beach is only a fraction of the history that makes up San Diego and Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve. Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve is made up of six different rock formations; Delmar Formation, Torrey Sandstone, Ardath Shale, Scripps Formation, Lindavista Formation, and Baypoint Formation. All very unique and rich with geological history, mineralogy, and structural information of the environment. Geologic History Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve is comprised of sedimentary layers of old rocks. The layers are separate formations that are each very unique and able to be told apart from a distance. The reserve is located near the edge of the Pacific plate, moving toward the Aleutians at about two inches per year per USGS. It’s these very tectonic forces that have helped shape the reserve as we know it. The beaches were once sand and clay and over time become Sandstone raised far above sea level. (See Figure 1.1). The second oldest formation is the Torrey Sandstone from the middle Eocene which is about forty-eight million years old. Over time these sea cliffs have been changed and cut by waves, erosion, and even changing sea levels. The sea moving back further into the ocean left giant rock faces and layers, upon layers of different rock formations, and ultimately created the sea cliffs, rich with history and different types of rocks. Mineralogy and Petrology of the Environment It’s no secret that Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve is home to an abundance of different minerals, rocks, and other features, but each formation of rocks tells its own story.

3 Torrey Pines itself is comprised of several sedimentary layers of old rocks, that were beaten away due to geological processes of erosion, landslides, and other geological events. Torrey Sandstone in particular, “is mostly quartz with some feldspar, usually white but often stained light brown by iron oxide from the rocks above. The rock was deposited as a sandbar. The loose sand was cemented later by calcite from water flowing through the sand,” (Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve, 2023). Today, there are concretions caused by the deposition of calcite and iron oxide and other iron-rich minerals like biotite, magnetite, and other mafic minerals. (Miracosta, 2023). and most of the sandstone has been shaped by water from the sea, rainfall, etc. Structural Setting of the Environment and Conclusion The mineralogy of Torrey pines is diverse and full of different rocks and minerals and the structural setting is important as well. The Torrey Pines research is near two faults first being the Carmel Valley Fault and the second more recognized fault of the Rose Canyon Fault. The Carmel Valley Fault is visible from the beach cliffs. Off the shore, there are some anticlines and syncline faults. (See Figure 1.2). Several other small faults pass through areas near or around Torrey Pines State Nature Reserve. Much of everything in Torrey Pines focuses on the strata and different rock formations such as Torrey Sandstone. There aren’t many other geologic structures to be observed. Torrey Sandstone is a gorgeous rock formation, within the state reserve. It’s easily observable from the tons of different trails, the sea cliffs, and other gorgeous areas around the area. It’s worth a trip to check out. Images

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