California's great central valley was formed by the what of the surrounding mountains?

On the east side of the valley is the Sierra Nevada Range of mountains and on the west is the Diablo Range. They were formed by both volcanic and geological action.

The area was once an inland sea that covered the entire valley, and to this day you can drive up into the foothills from any point on the valley floor and see the lap lines from the water.

Shark teeth can be found in parts of the valley as well as ancient sea shells and other fossils.

On a clear day we can see the snow capped Sierra's and the Diablo's both from the middle of the valley floor.

From one point just east of Turlock, you can see Half Dome in Yosemite almost 100 miles away.

On state highway 108, just west of the storied towns of Sonora and Jamestown, you can see one of the worlds longest continuous lava flows. A sign of the once violent geological actions that shaped our now peaceful valley.