How old are the Santa Monica Mountains?

How old are the Santa Monica Mountains?

Comprised of rocks nearly 200 million years old, the mountains were formed in many series of ruptures between the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate. The tallest peaks are close to 3100′ elevation.

What is Santa Monica Mountains known for?

The Santa Monica Mountains have more than 1,000 archeology sites of significance, primarily from the Californian Native American cultures of the Tongva and Chumash people. The mountains were part of their regional homelands for over eight thousand years before the arrival of the Spanish.

Are the Santa Monica Mountains protected?

Santa Monica Mountains Information Located adjacent to the city of Los Angeles, the second largest urban area in the United States, the Santa Monica Mountains represent one of the largest protected areas of the Mediterranean-type ecosystem.

How many mountain lions are in the Santa Monica Mountains?

Park service officials estimate about 10 to 15 adult mountain lions can be supported by the environment of the Santa Monica Mountains, which includes areas south of the 101 Freeway and west of the 405 Freeway.

Is Tarantula Hill a volcano?

It was once a volcanic mound but went dormant 16 million years ago. The hill is located near the center of the Conejo Valley.

How were Santa Monica Mountains formed?

Starting about 24 million years ago (Oligocene), the Farallon Plate began to subduct beneath the North American Plate. This process known as subduction was a catalyst in the driving force that created our mountains, our volcanoes!

What animals live in the Santa Monica Mountains?

Over 45 mammal species can be found in the Santa Monica Mountains, and they range in size from shrews, which weigh less than one ounce, to mountain lions weighing up to 150lbs. However most of these are smaller mammals such as squirrels, gophers, mice, rats, rabbits, and insectivores such as bats, shrews, and moles.

What is the highest peak in the Santa Monica Mountains?

Sandstone Peak
Santa Monica Mountains/Highest point

At an elevation of 3,111 feet, Sandstone Peak is the highest point in the Santa Monica Mountains. It should be on everyone’s “bucket list” of local hikes, with its sweeping views to the Pacific Ocean and Channel Islands and inland to the Conejo/Simi Valleys.

What biome is Santa Monica?

Mediterranean Scrub biome
The Santa Monica Mountains region, including the City of Malibu, is a unique habitat area. On a global scale, the area is part of the Mediterranean Scrub biome. This biome type is found in only five areas worldwide: around the Mediterranean Sea, Chile, South Africa, Australia, and Southern California.

Are there bears in Santa Monica Mountains?

The Santa Monica Mountains have not had a resident bear population since the 1800s, when grizzlies were extirpated from California. Stories and evidence of bears in the area do occasionally surface, however, such as the one killed in 2014 on a 101 Freeway off-ramp in Westlake Village.

Where is p22 mountain lion?

Male mountain lions usually have a territory of about 150 square miles where they might encounter some competition and maybe a mate. But P-22 is living all by himself in about nine square miles in Griffith Park.

How big is the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy?

Since that time, it has helped to preserve and open to the public over 75,000 acres of parkland in both urban and wilderness settings. More Find out the latest information about COVID-19 restrictions at Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy parkland and all MRCA-managed parks.

When was the Santa Monica Mountains Forest Reserve created?

The first area in the Santa Monica Mountains set aside for public use was Griffith Park which was donated to the city of Los Angeles by Griffith J. Griffith in 1896. During the first decade of the twentieth century, Frederick H. Rindge made several attempts to create a forest reserve in the Santa Monica Mountains.

Where are the Santa Monica Mountains in California?

The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area is a United States National Recreation Area containing many individual parks and open space preserves, located primarily in the Santa Monica Mountains of Southern California.

When was Will Rogers State Park in Santa Monica created?

Will Rogers State Historic Park was created in 1944 marking the establishment of the first state park in the Santa Monica Mountains and the first public land created in the mountains since Griffith Park in 1896. It now adjoins Topanga State Park on its northeast side.