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Ancient Story

Underlying the geography we se today is an ancient story – hundreds of thousands of years of geologic time. Volcanic activity has been noted in the region until fairly recent times – from the upthrusts under the ocean that brought magma from the earth’s inner core to the sea bed surface, to vents along the Santa Barbara shoreline observed in the last 100 years. This volcanic activity is recorded on the Channel Islands most clearly – with submarine lava flows still evident in the rock on Anacapa Island, and Santa Barbara Island actually being the tip of a Miocene era volcano!

Another force that has shaped the geography of the Channel over time has been seismic activities – often dramatic events that can in a single day raise mountain levels 30 feet – and suddenly create tall ridges and deep valleys where there were none a few hours before. The region is laced with earthquake faults endemic to the entire Pacific Rim – also called The Ring of Fire. The motion on these faults has uplifted the mountain ranges we see today both on the mainland and also out on the islands.

And there is even another factor influencing the geography we see today – the forces of water and weather. The rivers and streams in the region often follow the earthquake faults as they seek the fastest downhill slope towards the sea from the peaks of the highest mountains and course along arroyos and riverbeds. The weather of the region – wind and rain in a particular – has been shaping the sandstone Santa Ynez Mountains, sometimes forming amazing wind caves and teetering boulders set incredibly atop narrow spikes of stone.