| Santa Ynez Mountains | |
|---|---|
 Upper San Roque Canyon in the Santa Ynez Mountains, Santa Barbara County | |
| Highest point | |
| Peak | Peak 4864 |
| Elevation | 4,864 ft (1,483 m) |
| Coordinates | 34°28′47″N119°25′55″W / 34.47972°N 119.43194°W /34.47972; -119.43194 |
| Geography | |
 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| District(s) | Santa Barbara County Ventura County |
| Range coordinates | 34°30′03″N119°43′47″W / 34.5009°N 119.72969°W /34.5009; -119.72969 |
TheSanta Ynez Mountains are a portion of theTransverse Ranges, part of thePacific Coast Ranges of the west coast of North America. It is the westernmost range in the Transverse Ranges.
The range is a largefault block ofCenozoic age created by the movements of theSanta Ynez Fault. A very narrow range, the Santa Ynez Mountains rise quickly on its north side and drops off equally dramatically along the range's south face along theGaviota Coast. The Santa Ynez Mountains begin as a series of volcanic hills nearPoint Arguello, and gradually transitions eastward into a single, well-defined ridge extending fromGaviota Peak toMatilija Creek. The range is approximately contiguous with theTopatopa Mountains beyond to the east, which terminates abruptly atSespe Creek.
The climate of the range isMediterranean with most of the precipitation falling between November and March. Most of the range lies in theCalifornia chaparral and woodlands ecoregion. At the crest and on the north slope, the rainier regions support extensive oak woodlands, mixed with other broadleafed species such as madrone, sycamore and bay laurel, along with some conifers, primarilyCoulter pines.
The mountains are principally inSanta Barbara County, with an eastward extension intoVentura County, and are unusual in being an entirely east–west trending mountain range—one of the few in the United States. This is attributed in part to clockwise rotations of crustal blocks 90° or more since the earlyMiocene or about 17 million years ago.[1] The range is mostly withinLos Padres National Forest.
The southern slopes of the range drop off into a series of alluvial plains which make up theGaviota Coast along the Santa Barbara Channel. They tend to be made up of unconsolidated riverine deposits overlying shale bedrock. The northern boundary of the range is marked by the Santa Ynez Fault, the massivethrust fault that uplifted the mountains since approximately 5 million years ago starting in thePliocene.[2][3] Notable features along the fault which mark the boundary of the range includeJalama Creek and theSanta Ynez River to the west andMatilija Creek in the far east. To the north of the range are theSan Rafael Mountains.
Laterally, the mountains extend from an eastern terminus at the canyon of theVentura River and Matilija Creek, north ofOjai, west across the Santa Barbara County line, to immediately north of the city ofSanta Barbara, and then west, paralleling the coast, to the city ofLompoc andVandenberg Space Force Base. TheSanta Ynez River flows just north of the mountains, paralleling them for most of their length. Before reaching Lompoc the mountain range diverges into two low ridges, separated by Jalama Creek, which then vanish into the Pacific Ocean.
The mountains parallel theChannel Islands to the south, another east–west trending range, a geologic extension of theSanta Monica Mountains; the two ranges are about thirty miles apart. Principal summits in the Santa Ynez range include Divide Peak, 4,707 ft (1,435 m),La Cumbre Peak, 3,985 ft (1,215 m) (above Santa Barbara), and Santa Ynez Peak, 4,298 ft (1,310 m). There are several important passes, including Gaviota Pass in the western portion of the range, through which runsU.S. Highway 101 via theGaviota Tunnel; andSan Marcos Pass near Santa Barbara, through which runsCalifornia State Route 154 capped by the magnificentCold Spring Canyon Arch Bridge near the summit.
The highest point, an unnamed and unmarked crest colloquially calledPeak 4864, is located right above the eastern terminus of the range, nearLake Casitas and Matilija Canyon.
Geologically the mountains are young and mostly ofsedimentary origin. The most common rock types in the range are sandstones and shales, with some limestone in the western portion of the range. Volcanic rocks can be found at the very western extremity of the range, nearPoint Arguello (Tranquillion Mountain Volcanics), while someschists of theFranciscan Assemblage are exposed in a number of locations.[2][4]
The Santa Ynez Mountains were uplifted inPliocene andPleistocene time,[3] beginning about five million years ago, along theSanta Ynez Fault, a feature which is considered to be active.[2][5] The left bend in theSan Andreas Fault is proposed to have constrained northward movinglithosphere to cause uplift of the range.[2] Being a young uplift, the slopes are steep and the topography is extremely rugged; the gradient is highest on the northern side above 1,500 feet (460 m), adjacent to the trace of the fault. Dramatic sandstone formations, including outcrops of the resistantColdwater andMatilija formations, are visible at many locations in the range.
The predominant ground cover ischaparral, withcoastal sage scrub, oak woodland and grasslands at lower elevations. Isolated stands of conifers (mostlyCoulter pines) and other evergreen trees such asbay laurel,tanbark oak andmadrone grow on the higher parts of the northern slopes, which are cooler and shadier than the southern slopes exposed to the sun. At lower elevations on the southern side of the range, a virtually frost-free zone,avocados are grown in considerable quantity.
The Santa Ynez Mountains are home to many species typical of the California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion, such as theWestern fence lizard,Nuttall's woodpecker,Steller's jay,striped skunk,raccoon,mule deer,bobcat, andcoyote. Large predator species includemountain lion andblack bear, the latter of which wanders in and out of the range within territories in excess of 15 square miles.[6]
Early inhabitants included theChumash people who left behind many examples ofrock art including those atPainted Cave SHP. Large portions of the mountain range are now in theLos Padres National Forest, although there are privateinholdings, including some substantial communities, such as thePainted Cave community whereJane Fonda owned the ridgetopLaurel Springs Ranch into the late 1990s.[citation needed] Other famous residents have includedRonald Reagan, whoseRancho del Cielo is at the top of the range west of Santa Barbara, and Ben Adelson. TheCold Spring Tavern is a popular local gathering place beneath theCold Spring Bridge.
The climate of the mountain range isMediterranean. Summers are warm and almost entirely rainless, save for occasionalmonsoonal showers in August and September, though in most years there is no rain between May and October. Most of the higher coastal slopes of the range average between 30 inches (760 mm) to almost 40 inches (1,000 mm) of precipitation per year (mostly falling between November and March), about twice the total of the coastal plain below. About one year in three snow falls on the higher peaks in the mountains, but it rarely stays for longer than a few days. In the late spring and early summer the mountains and areas below to the south are subject to occasional intensesundowner winds, a type offoehn wind in which the air is heatedadiabatically and dried as it moves downslope. In dry years these winds pose an extreme fire hazard.
Occasionally extremely destructive fires originate in the Santa Ynez Mountains. In June 1990, a fire which began near Painted Cave burned south into the city of Santa Barbara, driven by sundowner winds, destroying over 500 homes. A fire in the 1940s destroyed most of the mansion that is now calledKnapp's Castle. More recent fires, such as theTea andJesusita fires, have also been destructive to properties.
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