{"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\u20130.34 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"}