Expert: Ernest Tufft - 12/26/2010

Question
I've Been Wondering now for a very long time how this dangerous road was formed and when was it made ? please answer this question my whole family debate on who has the right answer... thank you very much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer
Alexxis,

I spent the first 10 years of my life living in Gilroy, many years ago, and recall the family using Hwy 152 over the Hecker Pass highway and Mount Madonna as an adventuresome way to get to Watsonville and Santa Cruz.  I caught my first fish from a stream that flows off the mountain.  This region is quite diverse in terms of vegetation, having redwood trees at the higher western facing elevations, and oak and madrone on the drier lower eastern facing elevations.   Unfortunately, I'm not a geologist capable of answering this question in any great detail, but I can refer you to a good website, and maybe explain a little more based upon this source:

http://baynature.org/articles/jul-sep-2007/at-home-off-the-range

Basically, Mount Madonna is the most easterly extension of the Santa Cruz Mountains, as it is wedged between the San Andres and Sargent faults.  The youthful Santa Cruz Mountains and Mount Madonna in particular may appear at first to be layers sedimentary rock, but the angular placement should reveal to the careful eye that these mountains are formed by uplifting seismic activity.  These are very young mountains and continue to grow in height with every seismic event.

As for the road, this probably dates back to the original ranch road created by Henry Miller, whose name is given to a major thoroughfare in Gilroy, and the remains of his mountain home are inside the Santa Clara regional park.  Hope this helps...