Similar to the age and rock types on coastal California, Elephant Island has phyllites, blueschists and greenschists at its surface because of uplift along Shackleton Fault Zone.
This complex is very similar in age and rock types to those of coastal California, including Catalina Island and the Big Sur coast. The resulting rocks are phyllites, blueschists and greenschists typical of an accretionary wedge, with increased metamorphism from northeast to southwest. These rocks are at the surface here because of uplift along the Shackleton Fault Zone where it meets the South Scotia Ridge. 
