San Lorenzo River

The San Lorenzo River is a 29.3-mile-long river in California, flowing south by southeast through the San Lorenzo Valley and passing through Santa Cruz before emptying into Monterey Bay and the Pacific Ocean. Its headwaters originate in Castle Rock State Park in the Santa Cruz Mountains and flow through several tributaries, including Craig Springs Creek and Kings Creek, before reaching the river mouth. The San Lorenzo River watershed drains 138 square miles and includes the Branciforte Creek watershed as a major sub-basin. The river's discharge is influenced by rainfall patterns, with higher flows during the winter and early spring in the upper basin and atmospheric-river-caused floods in the lower basin. The river's geology is shaped by tectonic forces, including the convergence of the Pacific and North American plates, which uplifted the land and created the Santa Cruz Mountains around 3-4 million years ago.learn more on wikipedia