Black Hills (Greenlee County)
Encyclopedia
The Black Hills of Greenlee County are a 20 mi (32 km) long mountain range
of the extreme northeast Sonoran Desert
bordering the south of the White Mountains
of eastern Arizona's transition zone
.
The mountain range is bordered by the Gila River
, and the range is a large block
that forces the Gila to flow northwest, west, southwest; at the west, the Gila River begins an excursion northwest at the start of the Gila Valley
, where Safford
and Thatcher
lie in the valley.
The southwest quarter of the mountain range lies in the southeast of Graham County
.
, with the complete excursion of the Gila River and mountain range in the zone, and valleys to the south, in the Sonoran Desert
.
The center south of the range starts the northern drainage into the small Whitlock Valley
. The southeast of the Black Hills start the small hills at the north of a north-south stretch of the Peloncillo Mountains
. The southwest of the range start the small hills associated with the northeast of the north-south small range of the Whitlock Mountains.
Mountain range
A mountain range is a single, large mass consisting of a succession of mountains or narrowly spaced mountain ridges, with or without peaks, closely related in position, direction, formation, and age; a component part of a mountain system or of a mountain chain...
of the extreme northeast Sonoran Desert
Sonoran Desert
The Sonoran Desert is a North American desert which straddles part of the United States-Mexico border and covers large parts of the U.S. states of Arizona and California and the northwest Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California, and Baja California Sur. It is one of the largest and hottest...
bordering the south of the White Mountains
White Mountains (Arizona)
The White Mountains of Arizona are a mountain range and mountainous region in the eastern part of the state, near the border with New Mexico; it is a continuation from the west of the Arizona transition zone–Mogollon Rim, with the Rim ending in western New Mexico...
of eastern Arizona's transition zone
Arizona transition zone
The Arizona transition zone, or Transition zone is a diagonal northwest-by-southeast region across central Arizona. The region is a transition from the higher elevation Colorado Plateau to the northeast in Northeast Arizona and the Basin and Range region of southwest and south regions of lower...
.
The mountain range is bordered by the Gila River
Gila River
The Gila River is a tributary of the Colorado River, 650 miles long, in the southwestern states of New Mexico and Arizona.-Description:...
, and the range is a large block
Massif
In geology, a massif is a section of a planet's crust that is demarcated by faults or flexures. In the movement of the crust, a massif tends to retain its internal structure while being displaced as a whole...
that forces the Gila to flow northwest, west, southwest; at the west, the Gila River begins an excursion northwest at the start of the Gila Valley
Gila Valley (Graham County)
The Gila Valley of Graham County, Arizona is a 35 mile long valley in central Graham County, Arizona. Thatcher and Safford, Arizona lie upstream on the Gila River in the southeast beginning of the valley....
, where Safford
Safford, Arizona
- History :Safford was founded by Joshua Eaton Bailey, Hiram Kennedy and Edward Tuttle, who came from Gila Bend, in southwestern Arizona. They left Gila Bend in the winter of 1873-74; their work on canals and dams having been destroyed by high water the previous summer...
and Thatcher
Thatcher, Arizona
Thatcher is a town in Graham County, Arizona, United States. According to the 2010 Census, the population of the town is 4,865. It is part of the Safford Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Thatcher is located at ....
lie in the valley.
The southwest quarter of the mountain range lies in the southeast of Graham County
Graham County, Arizona
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*72.1% White*1.8% Black*14.4% Native American*0.5% Asian*0.1% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*2.8% Two or more races*8.3% Other races*30.4% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
.
Description
The Black Hills are on the southern border of the Arizona transition zoneArizona transition zone
The Arizona transition zone, or Transition zone is a diagonal northwest-by-southeast region across central Arizona. The region is a transition from the higher elevation Colorado Plateau to the northeast in Northeast Arizona and the Basin and Range region of southwest and south regions of lower...
, with the complete excursion of the Gila River and mountain range in the zone, and valleys to the south, in the Sonoran Desert
Sonoran Desert
The Sonoran Desert is a North American desert which straddles part of the United States-Mexico border and covers large parts of the U.S. states of Arizona and California and the northwest Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California, and Baja California Sur. It is one of the largest and hottest...
.
The center south of the range starts the northern drainage into the small Whitlock Valley
Whitlock Valley
The Whitlock Valley is a small valley in southeast Arizona, USA, lying between three mountain ranges. The valley lies on the south perimeter region of the White Mountains in eastern Arizona, and lies south of the west-flowing Gila River, and the region transitions south into Cochise County and...
. The southeast of the Black Hills start the small hills at the north of a north-south stretch of the Peloncillo Mountains
Peloncillo Mountains (Cochise County)
The Peloncillo Mountains of Cochise County, , is a mountain range in northeast Cochise County, Arizona. A northern north-south stretch of the range extends to the southern region of Greenlee County on the northeast, and a southeast region of Graham County on the northwest...
. The southwest of the range start the small hills associated with the northeast of the north-south small range of the Whitlock Mountains.