Geologic Map of the Cucamonga Peak 7.5' quadrangle, San Bernardino County, California

This data set maps and describes the geology of the Cucamonga Peak 7.5' quadrangle,
San Bernardino County, California. Created using Environmental Systems Research
Institute's ARC/INFO software, the database consists of the following items: (1) a
map coverage containing geologic contacts and units, (2) a coverage containing
site-specific structural data, (3) a coverage containing geologic-unit label leaders
and their associated attribute tables for geologic units (polygons), contacts
(arcs), and site-specific data (points). In addition, the data set includes the
following graphic and text products: (1) A PostScript graphic plot-file containing
the geologic map, topography, cultural data, a Correlation of Map Units (CMU)
diagram, a Description of Map Units (DMU), an index map, a regional geologic and
structure map, and a key for point and line symbols; (2) PDF files of this Readme
(including the metadata file as an appendix) and the graphic produced by the
PostScript plot file.
The Cucamonga Peak quadrangle includes part of the boundary between two major
physiographic provinces of California, the Transverse Ranges Province to the north
and the Peninsular Ranges Province to the south. The north part of the quadrangle is
in the eastern San Gabriel Mountains, and the southern part includes an extensive
Quaternary alluvial-fan complex flanking the upper Santa Ana River valley, the
northernmost part of the Peninsular Ranges Province.
Thrust faults of the active Cucamonga Fault zone along the the south margin of the
San Gabriel Mountains are the rejuvenated eastern terminus of a major old fault zone
that bounds the south side of the western and central Transverse Ranges (Morton and
Matti, 1993). Rejuvenation of this old fault zone, including the Cucamonga Fault
zone, is apparently in response to compression in the eastern San Gabriel Mountains
resulting from initiation of right-lateral slip on the San Jacinto Fault zone in the
Peninsular Ranges. Within the northern part of the quadrangle are several
arcuate-in-plan faults that are part of an antiformal, schuppen-like fault complex of
the eastern San Gabriel Mountains. Most of these arcuate faults are reactivated and
deformed older faults that probably include the eastern part of the San Gabriel Fault.
The structural grain within the San Gabriel Mountains, as defined by basement rocks,
is generally east striking. Within the Cucamonga Peak quadrangle, these basement
rocks include a Paleozoic schist and gneiss sequence which occurs as large,
continuous and discontinuous bodies intruded by Cretaceous granitic rocks. Most of
the granitic rocks are of tonalitic composition, and many are mylonitic. South of
the granitic rocks is a comple assemblage of Proterozoic(?) metamorphic rocks, at
least part of which is metasedimentary. This assemblage is intruded by Cretaceous
tonalite on its north side, and by charnockitic rocks near the center of the mass.
The charnockitic rocks are in contact with no other Cretaceous granitic rocks.
Consequently, their relative position in the intrusive sequence is unknown. The
Proterozoic(?) assemblage was metamorphosed to upper amphibolite and lower granulite
grade, and subsequently to a lower metamorphic grade. It is also intensely deformed
by mylonitization characterized by an east-striking, north-dipping foliation, and by
a pronounced subhorizontal lineation that plunges shallowly east and west.
The southern half of the quadrangle is dominated by extensive, symmetrical
alluvial-fan complexes, particularly two emanating from Day and Deer Canyons. Other
Quaternary units ranging from early Pleistocene to recent are mapped, and represent
alluvial-fan, landslide, talus, and wash environments.
The geologic map database contains original U.S. Geological Survey data generated by
detailed field observation and by interpretation of aerial photographs. This digital
Open-File map supercedes an older analog Open-File map of the quadrangle, and
includes extensive new data on the Quaternary deposits, and revises some fault and
bedrock distribution within the San Gabriel Mountains. The digital map was compiled
on a base-stable cronoflex copy of the Cucamonga Peak 7.5' topographic base and then
scribed. This scribe guide was used to make a 0.007 mil blackline clear-film, from
which lines and point were hand digitized. Lines, points, and polygons were
subsequently edited at the USGS using standard ARC/INFO commands. Digitizing and
editing artifacts significant enough to display at a scale of 1:24,000 were
corrected. Within the database, geologic contacts are represented as lines (arcs),
geologic units as polygons, and site-specific data as points. Polygon, arc, and
point attribute tables (.pat, .aat, and .pat, respectively) uniquely identify each
geologic datum.