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 Stream in Santa Monica Mountains |
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Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area Facts:
• Approximately 153,000 acres make Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area the world's largest urban national park
• The recreation area is surrounded by a megalopolis of 17 million people - the Los Angeles metropolitan area
• More than 33 million visitors enjoy the beaches and mountains in the recreation area each year
• An extraordinary density of nearly 1,000 archeological sites exist within the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area
• Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area is home to 25 rare, threatened, or endangered species of plants and animals
Please contact the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area for more information at (805) 370-2300, or visit their website at www.nps.gov/samo.
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Physical Science
The Santa Monica Mountains are the southern-most mountain chain in the transverse ranges of southern California and are characterized by a complex geologic structure, igneous in the western mountains and shifting to a largely sedimentary and meta-sedimentary base in the east.
Throughout the mountains, dozens of north-south canyons parallel each other, each with an intermittent or perennial stream. Numerous smaller east-west trending drainages dissect the slopes of these canyons. Due to a combination of steep unstable slopes and poorly cemented sedimentary bedrock, the Santa Monica Mountains are prone to landslides and debris flows.
The Mediterranean climate regime, typical of the Mediterranean Coast Network, consists of hot, dry summers and cool, rainy winters. Natural disturbances in southern California include summer drought, tectonic instability, flood and erosion cycles, and fire. Interacting with these are anthropogenic impacts and perturbations from the surrounding urban, rural, and agricultural land uses.
Current Research
Numerous local universities and research institutions have used the Santa Monica Mountains as an outdoor laboratory for research ranging from major seismic studies being conducted throughout southern California to smaller studies focused on the physical geography within the mountains. As the mountains are located in a heavily urbanized region, much of this work relates either to effects of humans on the physical environment (e.g. increases in water quantity, accelerated erosion) or potential threats to human life and property posed by the physical environment (e.g. fault mapping, earthquake hazards, debris flow probability).
Research Opportunities
As the park's scientific expertise is concentrated in the biological sciences, we strongly encourage a broad range of physical science research to increase our knowledge of the physical environment. We are particularly interested in work which will assist in the management of the natural and cultural resources in the mountains. Studies of interest include:
• Baseline geologic and geomorphic inventories and mapping
• Synthesis of existing data to assess trends in air or water quality and changes in hydrology
• Tactical or long-term monitoring studies
• Evaluation and prediction of geologic hazards
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