We have to cut sections from the stumps of trees logged almost a century ago. Redwood is very decay resistant and the wood is preserved well enough for sanding, polishing and microscopic analysis.

This scene corresponds to the intersection of the creek and fault zone on the center of the map from the previous page. Here the creek runs to the right of the stump being cut and the narrow tree in the upper right. The right border of the photo may mark the edge of the creek.

The San Andreas Fault Zone lies just below the bottom of this scene.

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The sections must be carried out of the woods to the road and then shipped back to the laboratory here at Lamont for surfacing and analysis. The actual years of growth are determined by matching the ring-width patterns with samples from living trees.

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