It was my great pleasure to lead about 75 members of the South Coast Geological Society on one of their annual field trips, this time into the local patch of “Franciscan mélange” located near Midland School. Pictured is the group assembling on a blueschist “knocker.” I revisited this area – after mapping it 30 years ago for my thesis while attending UCSB – looking for conclusive evidence to explain the history of this most enigmatic complex of rocks. Of course, this involved camping out, and waking up to the fog in the valley with a large “greenstone” block nearby. My report, “The origin and evolution of the Franciscan Complex, San Rafael Mts. mélange, CA,” is currently in final review for publication by the CA Geological Society. What a fantastic journey it has been.

Art Wahl CdeP 1972

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