Formation
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Over the course of their 25-million-year-plus history, the Iconic Vasquez Rocks and surrounding land have seen everything from torrential weather, to flourishing Native cultures, to battles between Captain James T. Kirk and the Gorn. (Photo by Sarah Brewer Thompson, 2014).
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Vasquez Rocks as they appeared in Summer 2012, taken towards the North. The largest formation near the center of the photo is the "big rock", the most recognizable and most photographed point in the area. The mountain range behind the Vasquez Rocks are the Sierra Pelona Mountains, which has played a large part in the cultural development and ecology of the Agua Dulce area. (Photo by Sarah Brewer Thompson, 2012).
One of the natural water catch basins located in Vasquez Rocks, which serves as a welcome watering hole for the various fauna that live in the park, as well as serving as a perfect "swimmin' hole" for some of the area's earlier residents. Unfortunately, recent drought years have limited the water collected in such basins, but hopefully rainier years will see them fill once more. (Photo by Sarah Brewer Thompson, 2011).
These distinctive rocks are part of the Vasquez Formation, which is a thick deposit of sandstone layers created through millions of years of deposits of eroded sand and rocks from the nearby San Gabriel Mountains. After the sand and rock eroded from the mountains, weather and pressure cause the sand to compact and form flat layers of hard sandstone, which in turn are buried by more recently deposited layers which accumulate on the ground surface. Depending on the amount of precipitation each season, some layers are sandier and contain no rocks, while others (known as “conglomerates”) contain inclusions ranging from small pebbles to larger boulders, giving the different the exposed rocks a layered-cake appearance. |
Nestled to the north of Soledad Canyon and to the South of Mint Canyon, sits an impressive quirk of nature: a unique and distinctive geological display created over the course of at least 25 million years. The dramatic, jagged sandstone features, known today as Vasquez Rocks, rise from the ground at angles between 45-52 degrees, pointing to the north like whales peering curiously from the water. Named for infamous Californio bandido, Tiburcio Vasquez, these rocks have been featured in films for over one-hundred years and serve today as one of the most recognizable and consistently-used natural film locations in the world.
One of the many interesting rock formations found within Vasquez Rocks. Colloquially known as the "Sphinx Rock", "Skull Rock", or "Cobra head", this formation displays the unique shapes that differential erosion of the sandstone can cause, as well as breakage due to tectonic (earthquake) activity. (Photo by Sarah Brewer Thompson, 2011).
This 1963 aerial photograph is an incredible display of various important aspects of the area: In the upper portion of the picture is the newly-constructed CA-14 Freeway which revolutionized travel from the Santa Clarita to the Antelope Valleys. In the middle-left portion of the photo is the iconic fortress constructed as a set, which was left behind serving as a tourest attraction for several years after. Most striking, however, is the layers of uplifted sandstone that demonstrate the massive formation of the Vasquez Rocks. (Photo used courtesy of Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation).
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Due to the Vasquez Formation’s location along the Elkhorn Fault, an offshoot of the more well-known San Andreas Fault, the Rocks are subject to constant movement which has resulted in their extreme lift. These steep formations erode as they are exposed to the elements, and because the varying layers of the sandstone are composed of alternative soft and hard layers, they erode at different rates. This creates a layered effect of sometimes sharply angled rocks that rise prominently toward the sky. These types of jagged formations are referred to as “hogs back ridges” and are seen in the rocky desert areas such as the canyons of Utah and Arizona, meaning that they were extremely useful to the increasingly popular Western and war genres of film, which increased in popularity from the 1930s through the 1970s.
An additional iconic geological feature of Agua Dulce is Saddleback Mountain, which consists of two crested basalt ridges, with exposed sandstone in between, forming a saddle-like shape. This photo is taken from the western portion of Vasquez Rocks facing the West. Saddleback Mountain is an important feature in that it is present in many of the historic photos from the area, helps to orient viewers, and is located just about the Sterling Borax Mine, which led to the birth of the town. (Photo by Sarah Brewer Thompson, 2012).
Notes on this section: As one can imagine, there is much more to tell on the geology of the area. Some of which will be addressed in the Mining section of this page, with more information on the additional geological resources of the area to follow.