China Rocks

Click here for Long-Term trends

Click here for Biodiversity Survey findings

China Rocks is located in the Central Coast region of California, within the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. This site is accessed through the 17 Mile Drive toll road. This site receives moderate visitation by tidepoolers. This moderately sloping site consists of extremely uneven terrain, containing many deep cracks and folds.

China Rocks is dominated by a mixture of consolidated bedrock and boulder fields, and the area surrounding the site is comprised of a mixture of consolidated bedrock and boulder fields. The primary coastal orientation of this site is west.

Long-Term Monitoring Surveys at China Rocks were established in 2007, and are done by University of California Santa Cruz. Long-Term MARINe surveys currently target the following species: Chthamalus/Balanus (Acorn Barnacles), Mytilus (California Mussel), Silvetia (Golden Rockweed), and Mastocarpus (Turkish Washcloth). In addition, motile invertebrates are monitored at this site. Click here to view Long-Term trends at this site.

Biodiversity Surveys were done by in 2007, 2017, and 2020.The Biodiversity Survey grid encompasses one section that is approximately 20 meters (along shore) x 33 meters (seaward). Click here to view Biodiversity Survey findings at this site.

For more information about China Rocks, please contact Pete Raimondi (raimondi@ucsc.edu).