Arica Mountains
Encyclopedia
The Arica Mountains are a mountain range in Riverside County
, California
. They are in the Colorado Desert
, in the Lower Colorado River Valley
region. They are near the Palen Mountains
and Big Maria Mountains
; and northeast of Blythe, California
.
.
Within the Palen-McCoy Wilderness are the Arica , Granite, Palen
, Little Maria
, and McCoy Mountains
, which are five distinct mountain ranges separated by broad sloping alluvial fan
s-bajadas. Because this large area incorporates so many major geological features, the diversity of vegetation and landform
s is exceptional. The desert wash woodland found here provides food and cover for burro deer
, coyote, bobcat
, gray fox, and mountain lion. Desert pavement
, bajadas, interior valleys, canyons, dense ironwood forests, canyons and rugged peaks form a constantly changing landscape pattern.
Riverside County, California
Riverside County is a county in the U.S. state of California. One of 58 California counties, it covers in the southern part of the state, and stretches from Orange County to the Colorado River, which forms the state border with Arizona. The county derives its name from the city of Riverside,...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. They are in the Colorado Desert
Colorado Desert
California's Colorado Desert is a part of the larger Sonoran Desert, which extends across southwest North America. The Colorado Desert region encompasses approximately , reaching from the Mexican border in the south to the higher-elevation Mojave Desert in the north and from the Colorado River in...
, in the Lower Colorado River Valley
Lower Colorado River Valley
The Lower Colorado River Valley is the river region of the lower Colorado River of the southwestern United States in North America that rises in the Rocky Mountains and has its outlet at the Colorado River Delta in the northern Sea of Cortez in northwestern Mexico, between the states of Baja...
region. They are near the Palen Mountains
Palen Mountains
The Palen Mountains are located in the southern Mojave Desert - northern Colorado Desert in eastern Riverside County, California, USA. The range lies southeast of the Coxcomb Mountains, and northeast of the Chuckwalla Mountains near Interstate 10....
and Big Maria Mountains
Big Maria Mountains
The Big Maria Mountains are located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of California, near the Colorado River and Arizona. The range lies between Blythe and Vidal, and west of U.S. Route 95 in California. The mountains are home to the Eagle Nest Mine and reach an elevation of 1,030 meters,...
; and northeast of Blythe, California
Blythe, California
Blythe is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, in the "Palo Verde Valley" of the Lower Colorado River Valley region, an agricultural area and part of the Colorado Desert along the Colorado River. Blythe was named after Thomas Blythe, a gold prospector who established primary...
.
Palen/McCoy Wilderness Area
The Arica Mountains are in the Palen/McCoy Wilderness Area, managed by the Bureau of Land ManagementBureau of Land Management
The Bureau of Land Management is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior which administers America's public lands, totaling approximately , or one-eighth of the landmass of the country. The BLM also manages of subsurface mineral estate underlying federal, state and private...
.
Within the Palen-McCoy Wilderness are the Arica , Granite, Palen
Palen Mountains
The Palen Mountains are located in the southern Mojave Desert - northern Colorado Desert in eastern Riverside County, California, USA. The range lies southeast of the Coxcomb Mountains, and northeast of the Chuckwalla Mountains near Interstate 10....
, Little Maria
Little Maria Mountains
The Little Maria Mountains are located in southeastern California in the United States. The range lies in a northwest-southeasterly direction east of the Palen Mountains and west of the Big Maria Mountains...
, and McCoy Mountains
McCoy Mountains
The McCoy Mountains are located in southeastern California in the United States.-Geography:The range lies in a northwest-southeasterly direction east of the Palen Mountains and south of the Little Maria Mountains...
, which are five distinct mountain ranges separated by broad sloping alluvial fan
Alluvial fan
An alluvial fan is a fan-shaped deposit formed where a fast flowing stream flattens, slows, and spreads typically at the exit of a canyon onto a flatter plain. A convergence of neighboring alluvial fans into a single apron of deposits against a slope is called a bajada, or compound alluvial...
s-bajadas. Because this large area incorporates so many major geological features, the diversity of vegetation and landform
Landform
A landform or physical feature in the earth sciences and geology sub-fields, comprises a geomorphological unit, and is largely defined by its surface form and location in the landscape, as part of the terrain, and as such, is typically an element of topography...
s is exceptional. The desert wash woodland found here provides food and cover for burro deer
Mule Deer
The mule deer is a deer indigenous to western North America. The Mule Deer gets its name from its large mule-like ears. There are believed to be several subspecies, including the black-tailed deer...
, coyote, bobcat
Bobcat
The bobcat is a North American mammal of the cat family Felidae, appearing during the Irvingtonian stage of around 1.8 million years ago . With twelve recognized subspecies, it ranges from southern Canada to northern Mexico, including most of the continental United States...
, gray fox, and mountain lion. Desert pavement
Desert pavement
A desert pavement is a desert surface that is covered with closely packed, interlocking angular or rounded rock fragments of pebble and cobble size.-Formation:Several theories have been proposed for their formation...
, bajadas, interior valleys, canyons, dense ironwood forests, canyons and rugged peaks form a constantly changing landscape pattern.
See also
- Category: Flora of the California desert regions
- Category: Protected areas of the Colorado Desert
- Category: Wilderness Areas within the Lower Colorado River Valley
- Category: Bureau of Land Management areas in California