This document discusses the geology of Coalinga, California. [1] Coalinga is known for its oil fields, drills, and coal mining. [2] The valley was originally below sea level and submerged, allowing various sediments and minerals to accumulate. [3] Later, uplift of the Coast Ranges enclosed the valley, and faulting filled it with sediments, creating a flat landscape just above sea level.

1. PART I

2. Coalinga is widely-known for it’s oil
fields, drills, and coal mining.
The valley is thought to have
originated below sea-level as an
offshore are depressed by
subduction. This could leave the
area open to many different
sediments, minerals, etc.
Later, the valley was later enclosed
by the uplift of the Coast Ranges.
Faulting moved the Coast Ranges.
Over the years, the valleys filled with
sediments from the faulting and the
filling eventually created a flatness
barely above sea level.

3. • Metamorphic comes from the Greek words meaning
“form” and “change.”
• They form deep within the Earth where there is high
temperature and pressure, along with chemical
reactions that cause the previous rock to form into a
new rock.
• Metamorphic rocks can be classified by types of
foliation.
• There are 3 major types of foliation: Foliated, non
foliated and weakly foliated.
• Foliated rocks are layered, and rocks that are non-
foliated are not layered.

4. • I believe both of
these rocks to be
Gneiss.
• Gneiss is a
metamorphic
rock that has a
banded
appearance (
bad quality
camera) and is
made up of
granular mineral
grains.

5. • The word igneous comes from the Latin word “fire.”
• Igneous rocks begin as hot, fluid material. This could be
from lava that has erupted, or magma in deep bodies.
• Rock formed from lava is called extrusive (these cool
quickly), while rock formed from magma is called
intrusive (cool more slowly) and rock from deep magma
is defined as plutonic (cool over millions of years.)
• Igneous rocks are usually found in the deep sea floor, or
above the Earth’s larger subduction zones.
• Some types of Igneous rocks are basalt, granite and
pumice.

6. • I believe that this is
Andesite. Andesite is an
extrusive igneous rock
made up mainly of
plagioclase and other
minerals. Some minerals
also associated with
Andesite would be
hornblend, pyroxene and
biotite.

7. • Most sedimentary rocks form under
water.
• They are composed of fragments of pre-
existing rocks that have been
concentrated, compacted and
cemented without necessarily
undergoing chemical change.
• The composition of sedimentary rocks
depend on the types of rocks from which
the rock fragments are derived.

8. • I believe this to be conglomerate. A sedimentary
rock that contains large rounded clasts. The space in
between the clasts is usually filled with smaller
clasts, or a chemical cement that binds the rock
together.

9. • 1.) www.geology.com
• 2.) http://www.buzzle.com/
• 3.) http://www.buzzle.com/articles/earth-sciences/