{
  "accessLevel": "public",
  "bureauCode": [
    "010:12"
  ],
  "contactPoint": {
    "@type": "vcard:Contact",
    "fn": "Muhs, Daniel R.",
    "hasEmail": "mailto:dmuhs@usgs.gov"
  },
  "description": "In several early studies, central California marine terraces between Santa Barbara and Point Conception were interpreted to record sea-level high stands of the last interglacial complex, ~80 ka to ~120 ka (marine isotope stage [MIS] 5). These ages and their elevations (~20 m to ~45 m) indicate modest rates of tectonic uplift, similar to those from other localities in southern and central California. A recent study, using a combination of luminescence and radiocarbon dating, has challenged the older age interpretations, implying much younger terrace ages, between ~40 ka and ~ 55 ka (MIS 3). From these new ages and a considerably lower sea level during MIS 3, much higher rates of tectonic uplift are inferred. In the present study, new uranium-series ages of terrace corals and amino acid age estimates of terrace mollusks were determined to test these competing interpretations. With the exception of a low-elevation terrace in Isla Vista (near Santa Barbara) that dates to MIS 3, terraces farther west are interpreted to date to MIS 5 and imply tectonic uplift rates of 0.20–0.34 m/kyr. A compilation of data for the region yields a decreasing rate of late Quaternary uplift from east, near Ventura, to west, near Point Conception. This trend is interpreted to reflect a decreasing influence of the processes of compression and crustal shortening south of the Big Bend in the San Andreas fault.",
  "distribution": [
    {
      "@type": "dcat:Distribution",
      "accessURL": "https://doi.org/10.5066/P1YZRCM5",
      "description": "Landing page for access to the data",
      "format": "XML",
      "mediaType": "application/http",
      "title": "Digital Data"
    },
    {
      "@type": "dcat:Distribution",
      "description": "The metadata original format",
      "downloadURL": "https://data.usgs.gov/datacatalog/metadata/USGS.67d868b7d34e7c418d07a67a.xml",
      "format": "XML",
      "mediaType": "text/xml",
      "title": "Original Metadata"
    }
  ],
  "identifier": "http://datainventory.doi.gov/id/dataset/USGS_67d868b7d34e7c418d07a67a",
  "keyword": [
    "California",
    "Climatology",
    "Gaviota",
    "Geomorphology",
    "Isla Vista",
    "Land Use Change",
    "Pleistocene",
    "Quaternary",
    "San Clemente Island",
    "Santa Barbara County",
    "Santa Barbara Island",
    "Stratigraphy",
    "Tajiguas",
    "U-series dating",
    "USGS:67d868b7d34e7c418d07a67a",
    "amino acid geochronology",
    "last interglacial",
    "marine terrace",
    "paleontology",
    "paleozoogeography",
    "sea level",
    "tectonic uplift"
  ],
  "modified": "2026-02-19T00:00:00Z",
  "publisher": {
    "@type": "org:Organization",
    "name": "U.S. Geological Survey"
  },
  "spatial": "-120.7316, 33.1495, -119.0052, 34.8715",
  "theme": [
    "geospatial"
  ],
  "title": "Radiocarbon, U-series, and amino acid chronology data for late Quaternary marine terraces in coastal Santa Barbara County, California, USA"
}