A map is loading
Get Driving DirectionsGaviota State Park Description
The coastal bluffs at Gaviota State Park reveal a 500-foot-thick cross-section of the geographically extensive Monterey Formation. Offshore and inland, petroleum geologists have extensively explored underground for oil reservoirs within this rock sequence and probed its depths to understand the genesis of this important oil source. The naturally cemented, bluff faces resist wave erosion and are tilted to display multiple layers like the pages of a book. The geologic layers contain some nicely preserved fossils, even the complete skeleton of a halibut-like fish.
Coordinates
: 34.478, -120.230Area
: 2,787 acres (11.28 km²)Official Link
: Gaviota State Park