West Valley College R. Lopez Natural Provinces of California The
first step in learning about the geology of California is
learning its geography. 1) On a sketch a map of California, be
able to outline the natural provinces, and name them. 2) Name at
least two famous valleys in the Basin and Range province of
California. 3) Why is the Basin and Range so arid? 4) What is
the general geologic structure of the Sierra Nevada? 5) What was
the tectonic setting of Mesozoic California and the Sierra
Nevada Batholith? 6) What is the approximate thickness of
sedimentary rocks beneath the central Great Valley, and what was
the source of the sediments. 7) When was the largest historical
earthquake in California, where did it occur, and what was its
geological significance? 8) What two major factors may have
played a role in the 1980 Mammoth Lakes earthquake swarm? 9)
What are horst and grabens? What are normal faults? What type of
stress is associated with normal faults? 10) What are range
front faults? What is the signi