| San Benito Gravels | |
| Type: | Geologic formation |
| Age: | Quaternary |
| Period: | Quaternary |
| Namedfor: | Lake San Benito (prehistoric) |
| Region: | San Benito County, California |
| Country: | United States |
The San Benito Gravels is a Quaternary Epoch geologic formation in California.
The Pleistocene Period Lake San Benito and others were formed in the prehistoric Pajaro River-San Benito River basin. The lakes were along 10miles on each side of the San Andreas Fault, the movements of which were responsible for the formation of those lakes.[1]
The Purisima Formation surrounds the San Benito Gravels, and was a primary source of the silt and gravels deposited in them.[1]
The present day San Benito River cuts a channel through the formation.
The San Benito Gravels formation preserves Cenozoic Era non−marine fossils.[2]