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Red arrows represent virtual flight path

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COASTLINE.AVI

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Flight Description

 

This flight begins off the Big Sur coast near Partington Point and travels north along the coastline.  Here, the Santa Lucia Range rises steeply from a narrow continental shelf. The shelf is cut by the head of Partington Canyon.  Highway 1 is clearly visible, incised into the steep seacliffs,.

Point Lobos is seen in the middle ground with the Monterey Peninsula in the distance.  Both are made of erosion-resistant granodiorite of the Salinian Block. They are separated by the head of Carmel Canyon, which nearly reaches the beach in Carmel Bay.

 

Here we fly along the beaches and sand dunes of Monterey Bay, passing the mouth of the Salinas River and the town of Moss Landing.  The continental shelf  is very wide here and is cut only by the Monterey Canyon.  The rich soil of the low-lying coastal plain at the bottom of the Salinas Valley and a foggy marine climate make ideal conditions for cool weather crops such as artichokes and lettuce.

 

Santa Cruz, at the northern end of Monterey Bay, lies at the mouth of the San Lorenzo River.  The uplifted marine terraces of the Ben Lomond Block are clearly visible.