Baja California and the Sea of Cortez 1. Tijuana Ensenada San Quintin El Rosario Guerrero Negro Bahia Magdalena Cabo San Lucas La Paz Bahia Concepcion.

Baja California and the Sea of Cortez

1

Tijuana

Ensenada

San Quintin

El Rosario

Guerrero Negro

Bahia Magdalena

Cabo San Lucas

La Paz

Bahia Concepcion

Mulege

Santa Rosalia

Bahia de Los Angeles

San Felipe

2

Geology of Baja California

3

• Pacific Plate moves NW past N. American Plate

• San Andreas fault between

4

Murphy, 1983 as quoted in Grismer, unpublished

tropics

Early Miocene:• Part of shore or underwater• Some mountains as islands

5

Murphy, 1983 as quoted in Grismer, unpublished

tropics

Middle Miocene:• Mountains rose• Mainland subsided• Gulf began to form• S. peninsula separated from mainland, became island

6

Murphy, 1983 as quoted in Grismer, unpublished

tropics

Late Miocene:• Mountain chains connected, forming a contiguous peninsula

7

Murphy, 1983 as quoted in Grismer, unpublished

tropics

Miocene-Pliocene:• Rapid tectonic activity• Pacific plate moved north• Mountains rose more• Sea level rose, isolating south end• Gulf extended far north

8

Murphy, 1983 as quoted in Grismer, unpublished

tropics

Late Pliocene-Present:• Mountain uplift• Desertification• Gulf regressed• Temporary land bridges to islands

9

History of Baja California

10

Cortez

Gúzman

Mendoza 1532

Becerra 1533

Cortez 1535

11

English map1641

12

English map 1641

13

Cabrillo 1542

Mendoza galleons 1542Francis Drake 1578

Cavendish 1586

Vizcaino 1596

Vizcaino 1602

14