User:Midnight!1989/Point Dume

Wildlife
There is a wide variety of wildlife located at Point Dume.

Along the shore, the weathering of the volcanic rock creates an intricate and extensive system of shallow tidepools. These tidepools serve as concealed shelters for a variety of marine creatures such as crabs, urchins, mussels, octopus, and small fish like sculpin and juvenile garibaldi when the tide ebbs away. During the daylight, a diverse array of wildlife emerges. This includes the presence of coyotes, skunks, raccoons, ground squirrels, and rabbits. Additionally, the region hosts a rich biodiversity of smaller creatures, with five species of butterflies, six varieties of snakes, and various lizard species, among them the distinctive silvery legless lizard. There are over one hundred species of birds, including brown pelicans, plovers, wrens, roadrunners, burrowing owls, falcons, and hawks.

Offshore, the nutrient-rich and frigid waters of the Pacific enhance the entire marine food web, from primary producers such as algae and zooplankton to apex predators like sand sharks, bottlenose dolphins, and gray whales. Within the Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), the diverse seafloor topography encompasses hills, valleys, grooves, and channels, creating optimal habitats for species such as white seabass, giant sea bass, kelp bass, and lobster. Commonly, harbor seals, sea lions, and dolphins frequent these areas. From February on into the spring, humpback and gray whales, particularly newborn whale calves, are frequently observed as they undertake their coastal migrations.

Geology
The offshore faults west of Point Dume in southern California are part of a regional fault system extending about 200 kilometers from Los Angeles to the Channel Islands. This system poses a significant earthquake hazard to Los Angeles due to multiple active fault strands.

Some of the primary offshore faults have experienced 3-5 kilometers of cumulative displacement, with evidence of current activity through seafloor deformation. The primary offshore fault is the Dume fault, showing Holocene displacement.

Onshore, the Malibu Coast fault is active and has a steep northward dip with left-oblique slip. Its likely offshore extension disrupts shallow sediment layers, indicating Holocene activity. A structure near Sycamore Knoll, transverse to the main faults, may be significant for regional earthquake hazard analysis, potentially acting as a rupture segment boundary.