COLORADO DESERT Colorado Desert Salton Trough
Like Basin & Range Earthquake Faults Hot Springs Ice Age
Until 10,000 Yrs Ago Large Lake in Trough Then Dried Up Colorado River… Delta Sediment filled Trough in South West Winds Sand Blown… Formed… Algodones Dunes
Around Glamis ORV’s Algodones Dunes
Sand Hills Climate
“Low Desert” Below 2,000’ Mild Winters Temp? X Hot Summer Temp? Climate
“Snow Birds” Retirees from… RVs Colorado River Water All-American Canal Imperial Valley Provides… • Water for Irrigation • Electricity for AC All-American Canal Water
Coachella Canal Salton Sea Fishing •Corvina Beach Salton Sea
Migratory Birds… Salton Sea New River Polluted New River
Industrial Waste From… Runoff of… Imperial Valley
Clay Soils Hold… Fruits & Vegetables Need… Farmed… Tilapia Crops Winter Lettuce Alfalfa Hay for Cattle Cattle Feedlots Imperial Valley Towns
El Centro I-8 •GEMs Imperial County Seat El Centro Imperial Valley Towns
Brawley Farm Town •Farm Owners •Mexican Farm Workers Calexico Shares Border with Mexicali… •Larger City Anza Borrego Desert SP
Borders Peninsula Mtns to West Largest CA State Park Coachella Valley Sandy Soils Crops… Fruit Trees Citrus
Grapefruit Tangerines Grapes Fresh Dates
Indio Indio Riverside County Fair & Date Festival Palm Springs Winter Resort Urban Area Recreation Palm Springs
Golf Courses Indian Casinos Checkerboard development… •Rest is Leased Indian Land Palm Springs
San Jacinto Mtns Aerial Tramway MOJAVE DESERT Mojave Desert “High Desert” Over 2,000’ Joshua Trees Daytime Temperature
January July
Mojave Desert 55°F 105°F
Colorado Desert 70°F 120°F Mojave – Climate
Sunniest in… Boron 350 days Power Plant Solar Power – Boron Proposed Solar Power Projects Mojave – Functions
Mining Military Transportation & GEM’s Bedroom Communities Recreation Mojave – Mining
Saline Minerals Playas NaCl •Bristol Dry Lake Bristol Dry Lake Potash Mining Trona Trona Struggling Mining Town Trona Pinnacles Tufa Trona Pinnacles
130’ Tall Silver Mining Calico
Ghost Town Tourists now Gold Mining 1880s
Johannesburg Randsburg Named after… Open Pit Mine Military Why in the Mojave? Desert Combat Maneuvers WW 2 • General Patton… Persian Gulf Wars Military Dry, Sunny Climate Good for… Lots of Space Good for… Military Bases
Army Air Force Ft. Irwin Edwards Space Shuttle… Military Bases
Marines 29 Palms Navy China Lake NWS •Testing... M I L I T A R Y B A S E S Transportation/GEMs
Route 66 First Hwy… Route 66 GEM Towns
Barstow I-15 I-40 CA 58 Barstow RR Junction I-15 Baker
134’ Tall Thermometer… Gateway to… Residents? Mojave Junction – CA 58 & 14 Mojave Airport
Storage Why? Other GEM Towns
Needles Blythe I-40 to… I-10 to… Bedroom Communities
Jobs in LA Cheap Housing Victor Valley Antelope Valley •Victorville •Lancaster •Apple Valley •Palmdale •Hesperia Victor Valley I-15 & Smog Mojave – Recreation
Desert Geology Unique Vegetation Red Rock Canyon SP Badlands “Jurassic Park” Joshua Tree NP
Granite California Poppy Reserve
Blooms… Best Months? March, April Mojave National Preserve
Preserve vs. Park? Preserve Allows: •Hunting Desert Bighorn •Grazing • Mining Cinders Mitchell Caverns Limestone Volcanic Landforms Lava Tube Volcanic Landforms Kelso Dunes
“Booming Dunes” Due to… Mojave National Preserve TRANS-SIERRA Landscape
“Basin and Range” Earthquake Faults
Sierra Nevada Inyo Mtns Owens Valley Death Valley • Lowest Point in USA
Rivers
Into Basins No Outlet Saline Lakes Playas
Dry Lakes Salt Flats Mono Lake
East of Yosemite In Mono Basin Mono Lake
Diversion of Tributary Streams Æ L.A. 1940-1991 Mono Lake
Tufa (Rock) Towers Lake-Formed Calcium Carbonate Mono Lake Tufas Mono Lake
Volcanic Islands Nesting Site for 90% of… California Gulls LA Aqueduct & Gulls
Lake Dropped Islands Connected to Mainland Coyotes… Rainshadow Vegetation Sagebrush North Vegetation
Creosote Coniferous Woodland South Mountains Economy
Mining Saline Minerals •Playas Saline Minerals
Death Valley Borax Silver Mining
Cerro Gordo Inyo Mtns Gold Bodie Mining 1880 – 10,000 Pop. Ghost Town Now • State Historic Park Ranching Owens Valley Cattle Tourism
Death Valley NP Spring • US Travelers • Wildflowers Summer •Europeans •Record Heat 134°F Death Valley
Lowest Elevation… Dante’s View 5,600’ Geology Sand Dunes Salt Flats 6” Salt Man Zabriskie Point Badlands White Mountains White Mtns Up to 14,100’
UC Research Station Bristlecone Pines
Oldest Trees… Over 4,000 years White Mtns
Sierra Overlook Manzanar Manzanar
WW II Relocation Camp Japanese- Americans Towns
Hwy 395 GEM’s Largest Town in region Bishop Gateway to Eastern Sierra Lone Pine Gateway to Mt. Whitney Death Valley Dunes