Catalina Schist

The Catalina Schist is a metamorphic complex primarily exposed on Santa Catalina Island, California, that formed during the Cretaceous. The Catalina Schist is broadly correlated with the Franciscan Complex, a similar metamorphic complex formed along the California margin. Both of these units record high-pressure/low-temperature metamorphism associated with the subduction of the Farallon plate beneath North America during the Mesozoic. The Catalina Schist is differentiated from the Franciscan primarily in the style of mélange formed during subduction.