Kimia's+Notes+Chapter+6+Section+4

__**California Geology**__ __Key Terms__ -Basin-a broad,bowl-shaped valley formed where the crust is bent downward. -Central Valley-the large basin in California between the coast Ranges and the Sierra Nevada.

Plate Techtonics and California The movements of the Pacific and North American plates produced California's major geological features. Faults Faults are often found along or near the boundaries of plates.The Pacifiuc and North American plates slide past each other along the San Andreas fault.They push and pull on the crust with enormous force.As a result, the crust breaks forming many other faults. Volcanoes In the Pacfic Ocean,the Juan de Fuca plate is being subducted beneath the North American plate.Mount Shasta and Lassen Peak int the northern California are volcanoes that resulted from this process. Moutnain Ranges Plate motion provides the force that pushes up California's mountains.The Sierra Nevada began to form several millions of years ago as plate movements pushed up a batholith.Plate motions folded the crust to push up the northen Coast Ranges. Basins Plate movements sometimes cause the crust to warp.The result is basin.A broad,bowl-shaped valley is called a basin.For example,the Central Valley of California is a huge basin with the Sierras and Coast Ranges on either side.As thesemoutntains rose,the crust forming the Central Valley's floor was bent dowmward.Slowly, a thick layer of sediment built up on the valley floor.