Pinnacles
Designation	National Monument
Location	California
Nearest City	Soledad, California
Coordinates	36° 29′ 13″ N 121° 10′ 1″ W
Area	24,265 acres 9,819.6 ha
Date of Establishment	January 16, 1908
Visitation	158,637 (2004)
Governing Body	National Park Service
IUCN category	III (Natural Monument)

Pinnacles National Monument is protected mountainous area located east of central California's Salinas Valley. The Monument's namesake are the eroded leftovers of half of an ancient extinct volcano. Image File history File links Location map of Pinnacles National Monument (red dot in California) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... English national monument Irish national monument U.S. National Monument This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... State nickname: The Golden State Other U.S. States Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) Official languages English Area 410,000 km² (3rd)  - Land 404,298 km²  - Water 20,047 km² (4. ... City lights from space. ... Soledad is a city located in Monterey County, California. ... State nickname: The Golden State Other U.S. States Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) Official languages English Area 410,000 km² (3rd)  - Land 404,298 km²  - Water 20,047 km² (4. ... This article is about longitude and latitude; see also UTM coordinate system Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (vertically) and longitude (horizontally); large version (pdf) The geographic (earth-mapping) coordinate system expresses every horizontal position on Earth by two of the three coordinates of a spherical coordinate system which... This article explains the meaning of area as a physical quantity. ... January 16 is the 16th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1908 is a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... The National Park Service (NPS) is the United States Federal Government agency that deals with all National Parks, many National Monuments, and other conservation properties with various designations. ... The World Conservation Union or International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) is an international organization dedicated to natural resource conservation. ... Look up Erosion in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Severe soil erosion in a wheat field near Washington State University, USA. Erosion is the displacement of solids (soil, mud, rock, and so forth) by the agents of wind, water, ice, movement in response to gravity, or living organisms (in the case... A volcano is a geological landform (usually a mountain) where magma (rock of the Earths interior made molten or liquid by high temperature along with a reduction in pressure and/or the introduction of water or other volatiles) erupts through the surface of the planet. ...

The Monument is divided into East and West Divisions by the rock formations and are only connected by trails, but not by roads. The east side has shade and water, the west has high walls. The rock formations provide for spectacular 'pinnacles' that attract rock climbers. It is popular with beginning rock climbers because of the many and varied smaller rocks. The Monument is most often visited in spring or fall because of the intense heat during the summer months. Climbers on Valkyrie at the Roaches. ...

Peregrine Falcons live in this area and the California Condor has recently been reintroduced. bobcats, cougars, coyote, California Quail, Wild Turkey, and many other birds and mammals live in the area. Like many parks in central California, Pinnacles has a small problem with wild pigs (a mix of feral domestic pigs and imported wild boars) disturbing the landscape on a regular basis. Binomial name Falco peregrinus Tunstall, 1771 The Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) is a medium-sized falcon about the size of a large crow: 38-53 cm (15 to 21 inches) long. ... Species Vultur gryphus Gymnogyps californianus Note that Condor is the NATO reporting name for the Russian/Soviet Antonov An-124 transport aircraft. ... Binomial name Lynx rufus (Schreber, 1777) The Bobcat (Lynx rufus, or Felis rufus) is a small wild cat indigenous to North America. ... A Cougar is: an animal, the Puma a helicopter type, the Eurocopter Cougar, with the civilian counterpart called Eurocopter Super Puma an armored military vehicle, the Cougar Hardened Engineer Vehicle, HEV [1] an older woman looking for companionship from a significantly younger man. ... Binomial name Canis latrans Say, 1823 The Coyote (Canis latrans) is a member of the Canidae (the dog family) and a relative of the domestic dog. ... Binomial name Callipepla californica (Shaw, 1798) The California Quail, Callipepla californica, is a small ground-dwelling bird in the New World quail family. ... Binomial name Meleagris gallopavo Linnaeus, 1758 The Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) is a large gamebird, one of a number of species of turkey. ... Orders Many - see section below. ... Orders Subclass Monotremata Monotremata Subclass Marsupialia Didelphimorphia Paucituberculata Microbiotheria Dasyuromorphia Peramelemorphia Notoryctemorphia Diprotodontia Subclass Placentalia Xenarthra Dermoptera Desmostylia Scandentia Primates Rodentia Lagomorpha Insectivora Chiroptera Pholidota Carnivora Perissodactyla Artiodactyla Cetacea Afrosoricida Macroscelidea Tubulidentata Hyracoidea Proboscidea Sirenia The mammals are the class of vertebrate animals characterized by the presence of mammary glands... Binomial name Sus scrofa Linnaeus, 1758 Synonyms The domestic pig is usually given the scientific name Sus scrofa, though some authors call it , reserving for the wild boar. ... Binomial name Sus scrofa Linnaeus, 1758 The Wild Boar (Sus scrofa) is the wild ancestor of the domesticated pig. ...

There are several trails for day hikers, some of which are strenuous. The trails provide views of the surrounding hills and valleys on clear days. The San Andreas Fault is visible from some vantages along the trails. View of the San Andreas Fault on the Carrizo Plain in central California The San Andreas Fault is a geological fault, known as a right-lateral strike-slip fault, that spans a length of roughly 800 miles (1287 kilometers) through California. ...

Established in 1908 by President Teddy Roosevelt as a much smaller park, Pinnacles National Monument now includes over 24,000 acres (97 km²). 1908 is a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Order: 26th President Vice President: Charles Warren Fairbanks Term of office: September 14, 1901 – March 3, 1909 Preceded by: William McKinley Succeeded by: William Howard Taft Date of birth: October 27, 1858 Place of birth: New York City Date of death: January 6, 1919 Place of death: Oyster Bay, New...

Geography

Pinnacles NM lies about 40 miles (64 km) inland from the Pacific Ocean and about 80 miles (128 km) south of the San Francisco Bay Area. The monument is in the southern portion of the Gabilan Mountains, part of California's Central Coast Range. USGS Satellite photo of the San Francisco Bay Area. ...

Elevation within the boundaries range from 824' (251 m) to 3,304'(1007 m) at the peak of North Chalone Peak.

The climate is Mediterranean, typical on the Southern and Central California coast. The Santa Lucia Mountains lie between the Monument and Pacific Ocean, blocking much of the moderating influence of the Ocean. In comparison to the nearby coast, temperatures have a larger range, at times being as low as 50 degrees at night and 100 degrees during the day. The average rainfall is is 16" (40 cm) per year. Snow can fall in small amounts at higher elevations between mid-December and January. A Mediterranean climate is one that resembles those of the lands bordering the Mediterranean Sea. ... The Santa Lucia Mountains or Santa Lucia Range is a mountain range in coastal California, running from Monterey southeast for 170 km to San Luis Obispo. ...

The vegetation is predominantly chaparral (about 80% of the Monument) with woodlands, riparian and grasslands merged into the chaparral. The diversity of intersecting ecosystems and altitude has led to great number of animal species that call the Monument home. Chapparal can also mean a US Army surface to air missile system based on the Sidewinder air-to-air missile system. ... Biologically, a woodland is differentiated from a forest. ... Riparian areas or zones are the areas of vegetation directly separating land from water and immediately adjacent land that is frequently inundated, or, in other words, the floodways of streams. ... An Inner Mongolia Grassland. ...

Geology

A view of some of the Pinnacles and the surrounding hills and valleys from one of the hiking trails.

The Monument is located near the San Andreas Fault which had a hand in creating the unique formations the Monument protects. The Pinnacles are part of the Neenach Volcano which erupted 23 million years ago near what is Lancaster, California today. The movement of the Pacific Plate along the San Andreas Faultline split a section of rock off from the main body of the volcano and moved it 195 miles (314 km) to the northeast. It is believed that the pinnacles came from this particular volcano due to the unique breccias that are only found elsewhere in the Neenach Volcano formations Erosion and weathering of the exposed rock created the Pinnacles that are seen today. Pinnacles National Monument Photographer: Elf 06:35, 30 Jan 2004 (UTC) Taken January 2003 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Pinnacles National Monument Photographer: Elf 06:35, 30 Jan 2004 (UTC) Taken January 2003 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... City nickname:The Heart of the Antelope Valley County Los Angeles County, California Area  - Total  - Water 243. ... The Pacific plate is shown in pale yellow on this map The Pacific Plate is an oceanic tectonic plate beneath the Pacific Ocean. ... Breccia, derived from the Latin word for broken, is a sedimentary rock composed of angular fragments in a matrix that may be of a similar or a different material. ...

Large scale earth movement also created the talus caves that can be found in the Monument. Deep, narrow gorges and shear fractures were transformed into caves by large chunks of rock falling from above and wedging into the cracks leaving an open area below. Scree slopes in Corrie Laggan, part of the Cuillin range on Skye Scree is a term given to broken rock that appears at the bottom of mountain cliffs. ...

Since the Pinnacles were moved to this area, the San Andreas Fault has moved 4 miles (6 km) to the East of the Monument. The original location of the San Andreas can be seen in the location of a current fault, the Chalone Creek Fault. Two other large faults are known to run through the Monument, the Miner's Gulch and Pinnacles Faults. These faults parallel the San Andreas and were most likely caused major movements of the master fault.

Seismic activity is frequent in the Monument and United States Geological Survey maintains two seismometers within the boundaries. Evidence of past and ongoing seismic activity can be seen in offset streams where they cross faults. Valley bottoms and terraces show signs of uplift. Seismology (from the Greek seismos = earthquake and logos = word) is the scientific study of earthquakes and the movement of waves through the Earth. ... The United States Geological Survey (USGS) is a scientific agency of the United States government. ... A seismometer is an instrument for measuring earthquakes and other ground motions. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has more media related to:

Pinnacles National Monument

• National Park Service link
• Travel guide to Pinnacles National Monument from Wikitravel
• Pinnacles National Monument Pictures