California was created by a very complex geological evolution. It has all three types of rocks, igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic, in different combinations all around the state. Many of these rocks are mined, either to extract their mineral wealth, or as ingredients of building materials. On the map of California you can see the areas and the overall rocks of these areas.

On the map provide in your worksheet, California is divided into time areas. Quaternary is up to 10 thousand years ago; Tertiary is up to 65 million years ago; Mesozoic is up to 225 million years ago; Paleozoic is up to 600 million years ago; and Pre-Cambrian is anything older than Paleozoic. The state can also be divided into geomorphic provinces, which refer to areas that have a similar landscape, representing different types of rocks.