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Geologists consider the Channel Islands to be a continuation of the Santa Monicas into the Pacific Ocean. The range was created by repeated episodes of uplifting and submergence that created complex layers of sedimentary rock. Volcanic instrusions have been exposed, including the poorly named Sandstone Peak, the highest in the range at 3,111'. Malibu Creek, which eroded its own channel while the mountains slowly tilted up, bisects the range.
The Santa Monica Mountains are in the California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion, and is covered by hundreds of local plant species, some of which are very rare, and others of which have become popular ornamentals. It is host to an immense variety of wildlife, from mountain lions to the endangered steelhead.
The mountains have more than 1,000 sites of archeological significance, particularly in regard to the TongvaThe Tongva are a Native American people originally inhabiting the area in and around Los Angeles, California, previously known as the "Gabrieleno" or "San Gabrieleno" tribe. Tongva means "people of the earth" in the Tongvan. They are sometimes referred to and ChumashThe Chumash Indians, a Native American tribe, mainly inhabited the southern coastal regions of California, in the vicinity of what is now Santa Barbara and Ventura, extending as far south as Malibu. They also occupied the three northern islands of the San people. Today the Santa Monica Mountains face pressure from local populations, who see the range as a receational retreat, a desirable residential area, and as an increasingly rare wild place in urban Los Angeles.
In local speak, "going over the hill" refers to crossing the range. Cahuenga Pass , present-day site of the Hollywood (101) freewayUS Highway 101 runs along the West Coast of the United States, just as its counterpart U. Highway 1 runs along the East Coast. It used to continue south of Los Angeles to Mexico, but that part was decommissioned in favor of Interstate 5. It is often refer, is the easiest pass in the range connecting the Los Angeles Basin to the San Fernando Valley. In the 1800sEvents and Trends Beginning of the Napoleonic Wars ( 1803 1815). Semaphore is adopted by navies. United Kingdom founded in 1801 World Leaders Emperor Napoleon I ( France) Emperor Francis II ( Holy Roman Empire) Pope Pius VII Emperor Alexander I ( Russia) two battles were fought there, and the Treaty of CahuengaThe Treaty of Cahuenga ended the fighting of the Mexican-American War in California. The treaty was signed by Lieutenant-Colonel John C. Fremont and General Andres Pico on January 13, 1847 on the kitchen table of Tomas Feliz's six-room adobe house. The fo was signed nearby. In the heyday of Hollywood movie studios clustered on both sides of it. Sepulveda Pass is the main north-south pass to the west, connecting West Los Angeles to Sherman Oaks via the San Diego (405) freeway. Further west are Topanga Canyon Boulevard , Malibu Canyon Road , and Kanan Dume Road . Mulholland Drive runs most of the length of the Santa Monica Mountains, from Cahuenga Pass to Sequit Point .
Much of the mountains are located within the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area . Preservation of lands within the region are managed in part by the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy. Over twenty individual state and municipal parks are in the Santa Monica Mountains, including: Topanga State Park , Leo Carillo State Park , Malibu Creek State Park, Point Mugu State Park , Will Rogers State Historic Park, Point Dume State Beach , Griffith Park, Charmlee Wilderness Park , Runyon Canyon Park , and the Paramount Ranch .
Communities include: Malibu, Topanga , Calabasas, California, Pacific Palisades, Brentwood, Bel Air, and the Hollywood Hills.