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ModocPlateau
InthenortheastcornerofthestateliestheModocPlateau,anexpanse
oflavaflowsthatformedamillionyearsagoandnowlieatanaltitude
of4,000to5,000feet(1,200to1,500m).Theplateauhasmanycinder
cones,juniperflats,pineforests,andseasonallakes.Theplateaulies
betweentheCascadeRangetothewestandtheWarnerMountainsto
theeast.TheLostRiverwatersheddrainsthenorthpartoftheplateau,
whilesouthernwatershedseithercollectinbasinreservoirsorflowinto
BigSageReservoirandthencetothePitRiver.
Ninepercentoftheplateauisprotectedasreservesorwilderness
areas,suchastheModocNationalWildlifeRefuge.Theplateau
supportslargeherdsofmuledeer(OdocoileusHemionus),Rocky
MountainElk(CervusCanadensis),andpronghorn(Antilocapra
Americana).Herdsofwildhorsesandlivestockgrazinghavealtered
theoriginalhighdesertecosystemoftheplateau.
Klamath Mountains
The Klamath Mountains are a mountain range in
northwest California and southwest Oregon, the
highest peak being Thompson Peak (2,744 m /
9,002 ft) in Trinity County, California. They have
a very varied geology, with substantial areas of
serpentine and marble, and a climate
characterized by moderately cold winters with
very heavy snowfall, and warm very dry
summers with limited rainfall. They consist of
several small, forested ridges that are higher
and steeper than the coastal ranges farther
south. These ridges are separated by deep
canyons and valleys. As a consequence of the
geology, they have a unique flora including
several endemic or near-endemic species, such
as Lawson's Cypress (Chamaecyparis
lawsoniana) and Foxtail Pine (Pinus balfouriana).
Brewer's Spruce (Picea breweriana) and
Kalmiopsis (Kalmiopsis leachiana) are relict
species, remaining since the last ice age.
PeninsularRanges
ThesouthernmostmountainsofCaliforniaarethe
PeninsularRanges,whichareEastofSanDiegoand
continueintoBajaCalifornia(Mexico)intheSierra
SanPedroMartir.ThePeninsularRangescontainthe
LagunaMountains,theSanJacintoMountains,the
SantaRosaMountains,theSantaAnaMountainsand
thePalomarMountainRange,notableforitsfamous
Palomarobservatory.SanJacintoPeak'seastern
shoulderhasacabletramthatrunsfromthedesert
floortonearlythetopofthemountainwhereriders
cansetoffhikingorgocrosscountryskiing.
SierraNevada
TheSierraNevadarange,mostlywithinCaliforniaandbarelyextendinginto
Nevada,risessharplyfromthearidbasinandrangeontheeastandslopes
gentlytowardtheCentralValleyofCaliforniaonthewest.TheSierra
Nevadamountainrangerunsabout430milesfromnorthtosouthand
formingagiantwallrisingtoover14,000feet.Vegetationatlower
elevationsisdominatedbylodgepolepineontheeastandponderosapineon
thewest,withfir,spruce,andalpinetundraathigherelevations.
SouthernSierrastartedtoformintheTriassicperiodwhenanislandarc
collidedwiththeWestcoastofNorthAmericaandraisedasetofmountains.
Atroughlythesametime,theoceanicplatestartedtodivebeneaththeNorth
Americanplate.Magmafromthemeltingoceanicplateroseinplumes
(plutons)from115millionto87millionyearsagodeepunderground,their
combinedmassformingwhatiscalledtheSierraNevadabatholith.By65
millionyearsago,theprotoSierraNevadawasworndowntoarangeof
rollinglowmountains,afewthousandfeethigh.
Twentymillionyearsago,crustalextensionassociatedwiththeBasinand
RangeProvincecausedextensivevolcanismintheSierra.About4million
yearsago,theSierraNevadastartedtoformandtilttothewest.Rivers
startedcuttingdeepcanyonsonbothsidesoftherange.TheEarth'sclimate
cooled,andiceagesstartedabout2.5millionyearsago.Glacierscarvedout
characteristicUshapedcanyonsthroughouttheSierra.Thecombinationof
riverandglaciererosionexposedtheuppermostportionsoftheplutons
emplacedmillionsofyearsbefore,leavingonlyaremnantofmetamorphic
rockontopofsomeSierrapeaks.
BasinandRange
TheBasinandRangeisalargephysiographicareacoveringmostofNevada,
partofeasternCalifornia,westernUtah,andsoutheastIdaho.Itliesinthe
rainshadowoftheSierraNevada,southoftheColumbiaPlateauandnorthof
theMohaveDesert,andisamosaicofxericbasins,scatteredmountains,and
saltflats.Itishotterandcontainsmoreandhighermountainsthanthe
ColumbiaPlateau,withmoreperennialstreamsandponderosapineforestat
thehigherelevations.ComparedtotheMojaveDesert,itisnotashotandis
moredominatedbyshrublandandlessbygrassland.
ColumbiaPlateauisanaridsagebrushsteppeand
grasslandsurroundedonthenorth,west,andeastbymoister,predominantly
forested,mountainousecologicalregions.Itisanoddlyshapedphysiographic
areathatcoversportionsofWashington,Oregon,Idaho,Nevada,andasmall
pieceofnortheastCalifornia.Itconsistsofaridtablelands,intermontane
basins,dissectedlavaplains,andwidelyscatteredlowmountains.Thereisa
moresubtletransitiontotheBasinandRangetothesouthinwhichhotter
lowlandsaredissectedbyisolatedmountainranges
TransverseRange(TheLosAngelesRanges)
GreatValley(SanJoaquinValley)
SouthernCaliforniaisseparatedfromtherestofthestatebytheeastwest
trendingTransverseRanges,includingtheTehachapi,whichseparatethe
CentralValleyfromtheMojaveDesert.ThePeninsularRangeslocatedto
thesouthcoverthesouthwesterntipofthestate.UrbanSouthernCalifornia
interspersesthevalleysbetweentheSantaSusanaMountains,SantaMonica
MountainsandSanGabrielMountains,whichrangefromthePacificCoast,
eastwardover100miles(160km),totheSanBernardinoMountains,north
ofSanBernardino.ThehighestpointoftherangeisMountSanGorgonioat
11,499feet(3,505m).TheSanGabrielMountainshaveMountWilson
observatory,wheretheredshiftwasdiscoveredinthe1920s.
California'sgeographyislargelydefinedbyitscentralfeaturetheCentral
Valley,ahuge,fertilevalleybetweenthecoastalmountainrangesandthe
SierraNevada.ThenorthernpartoftheCentralValleyiscalledthe
SacramentoValley,afteritsmainriver,andthesouthernpartiscalledtheSan
JoaquinValleyafteritsmainriver.ThewholeCentralValleyiswateredby
mountainfedrivers(notablytheSanJoaquin,Kings,andSacramento)that
draintotheSanFranciscoBaysystem.Theriversaresufficientlylargeand
deepthatseveralinlandcities,notablyStockton,andSacramentoareseaports.
TheTransverseRangesincludeaseriesofeastwesttrendingmountain
rangesthatextendfromPointConceptionatthewesterntipofSantaBarbara
County,eastward(andabitsouth)totheeastendoftheSanJacinto
MountainsinwesternRiversideCounty.TheSantaYnezMountainsmake
upthewesternmostranges,extendingfromPointConceptiontotheVentura
RiverjustwestnorthwestofOjai,inVenturaCounty.PineMountainRidge,
NordhoffRidgeTopatopaMountains,RinconPeakRedMountain,Sulphur
Mountain,SantaPaulaRidge,SouthMountainOatMountainSantaSusana
Mountains,SimiHills,ConejoMountainsSantaMonicaMountainsareall
partoftheWesternTransverseRanges,inVenturaandwesternLosAngeles
Counties.
TheLiebreMountainsoccupythenorthwestcornerofLosAngelesCounty,
andrepresentanorthwesternextensionoftheSanGabrielMountains,both
onthePacificPlatesideoftheSanAndreasFault.ThefaultdividestheSan
GabrielMountainsfromtheSanBernardinoMountainsfurthertotheeastin
Thesoutherntipofthevalleyhasinteriordrainageandthusisnottechnically
partofthevalleyatall.TulareLake,once570squaremiles(1,476square
kilometers)andnowdryandcoveredwithagriculturalfields,oncefilled
muchofthearea.
Thisisafertileareathatextends500milesfromthenorthwesttothe
southeast.Farmlandislocatedinthisregion.TheSanJoaquinandthe
Sacramento,twoofthestate'slargestriversystemsarelocatedintheCentral
Valley.TotheeastoftheCentralValleyistheSierraNevadaregion,a400
milelongareaofmassivegraniterock.Thehighestpointinthecontinental
UnitedStates,Mt.Whitney,withanelevationof14,495feet,islocatedhere.
Mt.ShastaandMt.Lassen,twovolcanicpeaks,lietothenorthoftheSierra
Nevada.TheyarepartoftheCascadeMountains.
TheCentralandSouthernCaliforniaCoastandValleyscoversthecentraland
southerncoastofCalifornia,includingtheSanFranciscoBayandextending
totheMexicanborder.IntheinterioritincludestheCentralValleyand
foothillsoftheSierraNevada.Chaparralistheclimaxvegetationofareas
SanBernardinoCounty.
ItispossibletosurfinthePacificOceanandskionamountainduringthe
samewinterdayinSouthernCalifornia.
CoastalRanges
TheseRangesinthenorthreachinland20to30milesextend
fromtheKlamathMountainsinthenorthsouthtoSantaBarbara.
TheDiabloandSantaCruzMountainsarelocatedintheCoastal
Ranges.NapaValleyseparatestheseranges.Thelegendary
RedwoodsandtheSanAndreasFaultarelocatedintheCoastal
Ranges.TheSanAndreasFaultentersCaliforniafromthe
PacificOceannearPortArenaandextendssoutheastintothe
state.Earthquakesarecausedbymovementoftheearth'scrust
alongthisfault
SouthernPacificRainforestsextendsfromthePacificcoastline
ofWashingtonandOregoninlandtothecrestoftheCascade
Mountains.ItendsarbitrarilyattheCanadianborder,andalso
includesthecoastalrangesofnorthwesternCalifornia.Savefor
coastalestuariesandsomeinlanddriervalleys(theWillamette
andthePugetTrough),thenaturalvegetationisconiferous
forest.Therearesixconiferousforesttypes,definedbyelevation
andlatitude,includingthecoastalSitkasprucezone,low
characterizedbyaMediterraneanclimate.Variousoaksandotherevergreen
treesdominatemanyofthefoothills.TheCentralValleywasawetland
grasslandcomplexdissectedbyriparianstrips.Thisisadiverseareawitha
highdegreeofendemism.
GreatBasinRegion
TheGreatBasinRegionispartofalarger
areathatextendsintoNevadaandOregon.In
northernCalifornia,itisalavaplateau.Tothe
south,itisanareaofwastelandsthatinclude
theMojaveDesertandtheColoradoDesert.
NorthAmerica'slowestpoint,DeathValley,
282feetbelowsealevel,islocatedintheGreat
Basin.
elevationwesternhemlock/westernredcedar,midelevation
Pacificsilverfirzone,subalpinemountainhemlock,amixed
coniferzoneintheKlamath/SiskiyouMountains,andthe
redwoodforestofnorthwestCalifornia
ColoradoDesert
TotheeastofthepeninsularrangeslietheColoradoandSonoranDeserts,
whichextendintoArizonaandMexico.
Thegroundelevationisgenerallylowerandinsomeareaswascompressed
downward,thereforetheeasternCoachellaandImperialValleysnorthofthe
U.S.Mexicanborderarebelowsealevel,thelowestcommunityintheU.S.
isCalipatria,Californiaat160feet(49m)belowsealevel.TheSonoran
Desertreceivesalowandunevenlydistributedamountofprecipitationover
extensiveplainsandisolatedmountainssurroundingthenorthernendofthe
GulfofCalifornia.IntheUnitedStatesitiscenteredinsouthwestArizona
andsoutheastCaliforniaandextendssouththroughmostofBajaCalifornia
NorteandSurandthewesternhalfofthestateofSonora.Vegetationis
sparseanddiffersfromotherAmericandesertsbyagreaterdominanceof
trees,includingarborescentcactisuchasthesaguaro.Creosoteisacommon
MojaveDesert
Inthe"GreatAmericanDesert"oftheSouthwest,theMohaveliesbetween
andisintermediateinnaturebetweentheGreatBasintothenorthandthe
SonoranDeserttothesouthandeast.ItismostlyinsoutheastCaliforniabut
extendsalsointosouthernNevada,northwestArizona,averysmallpartof
southwestUtah,andliesintherainshadowoftheSouthernCaliforniaRanges
tothewest.Itsmostprominentfeaturesarebroad,sparselyvegetatedplains.
However,italsoincludesdrylakes,sharplyrisingbuttesandrelativelysmall
mountainranges,anditseasternportioniscutthroughbytheColoradoRiver.
ItisgenerallyahigherelevationdesertthantheSonoran,althoughelevation
descendsto300minDeathValley.Lowprecipitation,mostfallinginwinter,
withlowwinterandhighsummertemperaturesarecharacteristic.TheGreat
BasinRegionispartofalargerareathatextendsintoNevadaandOregon.In
northernCalifornia,itisalavaplateau.Tothesouth,itisanareaof
wastelandsthatincludetheMojaveDesertandtheColoradoDesert.North
andwidelydistributedshrub.
America'slowestpoint,DeathValley,282feetbelowsealevel,islocatedin
theGreatBasin.