Prehistoric California

• Pre- Pleistocene Era
• Break-up of Pangaea
• North American Megafauna (large animals)
  • Saber-tooth tigers, American Lions, Mastadons, Condors
  • La Brea Tar Pits (Los Angeles)

• Great Ice Age - Pleistocene Era (2 million to 10,000)
  • mass extinction
  • lowering of sea level
  • continental & alpine glaciation
  • Bering Land Bridge
  • coming of Native Americans from Asia
    
    
• Cooling and drying of climate / change in geomorphology
  • gradual gradation of mountain ranges
    • alpine glaciation
      • Trinity Alps, Yosemite, other high peaks
        
        
  • formation of refugio areas
    • Coast redwood (Big Sur Coast to Oregon border)
      • once spread across North America
    • sustained by fog drip
    • Bishop pine (Pt. Reyes)
      • living dinosaur
    • California condor (southern California)
      
      
  • drying of Great Central Valley and Pleistocene Lakes
    

• Unsettling Events
  • Active volcanoes in California
    • Sierra Nevada
    • Sutter Buttes
    • Shasta & Lassen
    • note: Mt. Diablo is not a volcano
      
      
  • Great Earthquakes (still occurring)
    • Movement of San Andreas
      • Pinnacles
      • Pt Reyes

California Index