California’s Mineral,
Energy and Soil
Resources
Geology of California
• Some of the features of the
California landscape
formed as the result of
tectonic processes that
took place deep beneath
the surface
• Subduction of an oceanic
plate beneath the NA plate
formed pools of magma
which turned to igneous
rock. Uplift and erosion led
to the Sierras.
• Subduction of the Juan de
Fuca plate beneath the NA
plate produced volcanoes,
including Shasta and
Lassen
• Water erosion and glaciers
shaped the mountains and
valleys.
–Rivers that began in the Sierras cut
valleys and eventually slowed, leaving
sediment.
–Deposition of sediment created
Mojave Desert and Central Valley
• The Central Valley began as
an inland sea. Mountains
formed on both sides and
over a million years, the
valley filled in with
sediment.
California’s Mineral
Resources
• California’s major mineral
resources include sand,
gravel, stone, gold, silver,
iron and clay.
California Minerals
Minerals
Sand and gravel
Crushed stone
Clays
Gypsum
Born minerals
Building stone
Gold
Silver
Cement
Gemstones
Industrial Minerals
• Sand and gravel are most
valuable industrial minerals
–Used in road building and
construction
Metallic Minerals
• Gold, silver and iron are the major
metallic minerals mined in California.
–Gold mining still occurs today in the
Sierra Nevada, Klamath Mountains
and Mojave Desert
–Silver is mined in the Sierra Nevada.
–Iron is mined in the Mojave Desert
Gold Mine
Mining for gold
Nonmetallic Minerals
• Three other important mineral resources
are borates, gypsum and clay
–Borates used for fiberglass, detergents,
glass
–Gypsum used for wallboard, plaster,
cement
–Clay used in ceramics, bricks
Gemstones
• Some gemstones are found
in California including:
garnet, agate, jade
State Gem=Benitoite
California is a leading
producer of energy
• Oil
• Natural gas
• Geothermal energy
• Wind/Solar
Oil
• 15% of oil produced in US
comes from California
• Oils wells are on land and
offshore
Oil well
Offshore oil well
Natural gas
• Natural gas often forms
along with oil
• Used for heating, cooking
and fuel
Natural gas well
Geothermal Energy
• Area where magma is close
to the surface and heats
the groundwater
Geothermal Power Plant
The Geysers Geothermal Powerplant
California’s Soil Resources
• Soil is one of California’s most
important resources
–Soils vary with location
•Central Valley has most fertile
soils, used for agriculture,
contains over half of California’s
farmland
California’s Soil Resources