Oakland Geology

A few years back I showed you a view across the flat marine terrace where the old town of Clinton once sat, back in the 1850s. To really get a sense of it, walk the length of the terrace some time. Here it is on the geologic map, marked “Qmt.”

The photos below (1000 pixels) were taken last week at the locations of the two blue asterisks.

First we have a view off the edge of the terrace at E. 15th Street and 22nd Avenue. At barely 40 feet elevation, the view is quite extensive. That’s the former Catucci building in the left middle.

East 15th Street, a residential street running between International (E. 14th) and Foothill (E. 16th) Boulevards, is a pleasant walk on this extremely level geomorphic feature. Look northeast as you go and note the abruptness of the terrace’s inner edge. That was where the sea used to lap up against the Fan during the last major interglacial, about 125,000 years ago.

At the other end of the terrace, at 3rd Street and Foothill, the land turns down toward Lake Merritt (and the hospitable Portal).

But turn around to see just how flat this thing is.

The two stream valleys that interrupt it, at 14th and 23rd Avenues, are like canyons by comparison.

This entry was posted on 20 March 2017 at 8:03 am and is filed under Oakland geology views. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.