There is both paid parking and unpaid parking
available. The paid parking will get you about ¼ mile further
up the canyon and off PCH. Unpaid parking is available along
PCH and usually gets quite crowded.
The trail from the parking area is a wide path with a gentle but
noticeable uphill for 0.8 mile. The final few hundred feet to the
middle of the falls have steps. The crossing of the stream requires
almost no rock hopping. A relatively steep switchback leads to the
top of the falls and the primary coordinates. The fossils can also
be found around and below the pond, but are primarily found on the
sides of loose boulders. Besides the geology, the pool below the
falls has many animals. Mosquitos are prevalent during the late
spring through fall.
At first glance, the rocks near the falls appear to be a drab
featureless gray rock. Even a close examination typically reveals a
grey mass with a few areas that have some white specks. Usually no
grains or layering are visible. There are some cracks that run
through the rock that have filled with quartz. However, with a
little searching (and direction) you can find some areas with
abundant fossils and recognize the fossils that are actually
relatively common around the falls.
This rock is the Topanga Canyon Formation and is one of the most
fossiliferous rocks in the Santa Monica Mountains. It formed under
water a near the shore of the sea during Early to Middle Miocene
(16 to 26 million years ago). Evidence that these rocks formed in a
shallow marine environment comes from the type of rocks in the
Formation and the fossils that are found in it.
Mudstone, siltstone, sandstone, and shale can be found in the
Topanga Canyon Formation, but in this area it is predominantly
siltstone and mudstone with some areas of very fine sandstone. This
combination of rocks are characteristic of shallow marine areas
that have slow moving water (so we aren’t talking about the surf
zone).
Now for the fossils... At the coordinates, look for a rust
colored area just east of the stream. This area contains abundant
marine shells. Most likely they are gastropods(aka
snails), but could also include foraminifera(tiny
shelled organisms usually less than 1 mm diameter), plant
fragments, bivalves (double shelled
organisms that are usually symmetrical), sand dollars, barnacles,
and crab claws. Elsewhere invertebrate burrows, algae, fish scales,
shark gill-rakers, whale bones, and sea lion bones have been found
in the Topanga Canyon Formation. Similar species are found in
monder-day near shore sub-marine environments. Mostly what you see
are the fossils of shells that have been cut in half, so they look
like circles and white lines. Now that you can recognize the
fossils, you can go back to the gray areas and reexamine the white
specks and recognize them as fossil shells.
A more rare find in this area is the imprint of a large pectin,
a shell that looks like the Shell Oil Symbol. Go to the secondary
coordinates (it requires some climbing and searching N34 5.559 W119
2.600). Look for its imprint on the side of a boulder.
Logging question:
- What size are the fossils at the primary coordinates?
- How many types of shells can you count?
- How big is the pectin imprint? Finding other
cool fossils will also be accepted upon request and a good
description, photo, and/or coordinates.
Please begin your e-mail with the name of the earthcache and
make sure your log includes the number of people in your
group.
The above information was compiled from the
following sources:
- Discovering the Beauty of Charmlee Park's
Geological Formations GDEP Symposium Long Beach, 8 August 2003
Geoscience Diversity Enhancement Project A collaboration of the
departments of: Geological Sciences, Geography, and Anthropology
California State University Long Beach, CA 90840
http://www.csulb.edu/depts/geography/gdep/posters03/charmleegeology/
- GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE POINT MUGU 7.5-MINUTE
QUADRANGLE VENTURA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA: A DIGITAL DATABASE VERSION
1.0 By Siang S. Tan and Kevin B. Clahan California Department of
Conservation California Geological Survey.
- Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area
Paleontological Survey Alison L. Koch, Vincent L. Santucci, and Ted
R. Weasma Technical Report NPS/NRGRD/GRDTR-04/01 United States
Department of the Interior - National Park Service - Geologic
Resources Division 2004
-
Placement approved by Point Mugu State
Park