SPRING FIELD TRIP
Saturday–Sunday, April 25-26, 2026
CRETACEOUS SUBMARINE FAN AND EOCENE SUBMARINE CANYON, SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA
Please join Dr. Pat Abbot (Professor Emeritus, San Diego State) with co-leaders Ron Kies and Bill Bartling in examining the stratigraphy and lithology of the Cretaceous submarine fan and Eocene submarine canyon deposits along the beautiful San Diego coast. These dates were selected to take advantage of low tides that will permit access to spectacular outcrops of interesting rocks.
​ You can register using the Google Form available at https://forms.gle/uBKFF7gP5CwtykV86
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FIELD TRIP DETAILS:
Saturday, April 25 –
8:30 am -- Meet at Tourmaline Street beach (see directions below)
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Pat talk on Pliocene strata and Rose Canyon Fault
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Ron talk on Eocene submarine canyon
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Bill talk on Cretaceous upper submarine fan
11:15 am -- Depart to La Jolla Shores (see directions below)
Keep in mind that LOW-TIDE is at 12:18 pm – PLEASE depart on time
Anticipate a 20 minute drive to La Jolla Shores beach parking lot.
11:35 am – Gourmet Box Lunch and restroom break.
Noon -- Your feet will get wet! Begin 0.66 mile-long walk moving south along beach past head of La Jolla Submarine Canyon, to and across slippery rocks and water-filled tidal surge channel, to first pocket beach.
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Observe the sequence of Cretaceous tidal-channel strata, basin deepening, sedimentary rocks of basin plain, outer submarine fan, middle submarine fan strata, ending at the active Country Club fault within the Rose Canyon fault system.
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Then walk back to vehicles, crossing the tidal-surge channel again.
6:00 ish pm A group dinner is planned, please join us.
Sunday, April 26 –
8:30 am -- Meet on the beach at the north end of Torrey Pines State Beach (see directions below). Bring a backpack -- You will carry your lunch and water all day.
We will walk 3.5 miles south along the world-famous Torrey Pines beach and its towering cliffs of Eocene marine strata.
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Observe green lagoonal and orangish tidal environments, sedimentary structures and fossils.
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See north wall of Eocene submarine canyon.
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Eocene and Holocene history of Bathtub Rock.
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Observe coarsening southward and younging southward Eocene submarine canyon-fill strata.
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Deep dive into uppermost Paleocene strata severely weathered during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum.
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Examine massive cliff-collapse deposits of 1982 and 2023.
Please – Read This
There are physical challenges on both days of this field trip.
It may NOT be suitable for everyone.
Saturday Morning. Parking spots may be difficult to find. Tourmaline Street beach has a free parking lot but it can fill fast with surfer vehicles. And warm days bring more tourists.
Saturday Afternoon. You must walk 2/3 of a mile along the rocky beach around La Jolla Bay. This includes walking 150 meters across slippery rocks coated with marine plants, and wading across a 10 meter-wide tidal-surge channel with water up to knee deep. This is a 2-way challenge as you must cross it again to return to your vehicle.
Sunday. You will comfortably walk south along a glorious beach for 3.5 miles of mind-expanding outcrops, then return north the same 3.5 miles to your vehicle.
Restroom facilities are available at the parking lot, but you will be out all day with NO restroom facilities.
FYI – In the mid portions, you will be walking through a nude beach.
Suggestions for Field-trip Participants
Bring a backpack to carry your lunch, guidebooks, water, and possibly a second pair of shoes.
Your Saturday shoes will get wet!
Be sure to inform us if you have any dietary restrictions for lunches and dinner. For breakfast, you will be on your own.