All Topics  
Colorado Desert

 
Colorado Desert

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

Colorado Desert
 
 
  Topics Colorado Desert Topic Home

The Colorado Desert is a part of the larger 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 Mexican states of Sonora and Baja California....
 in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of California
California

California is a U.S. state on the West Coast of the United States of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east, Arizona to the southeast, and to the south the Mexico state of Baja California....
 and the northeastern portion of the Mexican state of Baja California
Baja California

Baja California is the northernmost States of Mexico of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North Territory of Baja California....
. It encompasses approximately 2,500 sq mi (40,000 km²) east of Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles is the largest city in the U.S. state of California and the List of United States cities by population in the United States. Often abbreviated as L.A. and nicknamed The City of Angels, Los Angeles is rated as a beta global city, has an estimated population of 3.8 million and spans over in Southern California....
 and San Diego
San Diego, California

San Diego is the second largest city in California and the List of United States cities by population, located along the Pacific Ocean on the West Coast of the United States of the Western United States....
, extending from the San Bernardino Mountains
San Bernardino Mountains

The San Bernardino Mountains are a short Transverse Ranges mountain range northeast of Los Angeles, California in Southern California California in the United States....
 east and southeast to the Colorado River, from which it takes its name.

The region is essentially the northwest extension of 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 Mexican states of Sonora and Baja California....
 to the southeast.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Colorado Desert'
Start a new discussion about 'Colorado Desert'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


Wpdms Shdrlfi020l Colorado Desert
The Colorado Desert is a part of the larger 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 Mexican states of Sonora and Baja California....
 in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of California
California

California is a U.S. state on the West Coast of the United States of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east, Arizona to the southeast, and to the south the Mexico state of Baja California....
 and the northeastern portion of the Mexican state of Baja California
Baja California

Baja California is the northernmost States of Mexico of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North Territory of Baja California....
. It encompasses approximately 2,500 sq mi (40,000 km²) east of Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles is the largest city in the U.S. state of California and the List of United States cities by population in the United States. Often abbreviated as L.A. and nicknamed The City of Angels, Los Angeles is rated as a beta global city, has an estimated population of 3.8 million and spans over in Southern California....
 and San Diego
San Diego, California

San Diego is the second largest city in California and the List of United States cities by population, located along the Pacific Ocean on the West Coast of the United States of the Western United States....
, extending from the San Bernardino Mountains
San Bernardino Mountains

The San Bernardino Mountains are a short Transverse Ranges mountain range northeast of Los Angeles, California in Southern California California in the United States....
 east and southeast to the Colorado River, from which it takes its name.

The region is essentially the northwest extension of 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 Mexican states of Sonora and Baja California....
 to the southeast. The region includes the heavily-irrigated
Irrigation

Irrigation is an artificial application of water to the soil usually for assisting in growing crops. In crop production it is mainly used in dry areas and in periods of rainfall shortfalls, but also to protect plants against frost....
 Coachella
Coachella Valley

The Coachella Valley is a large valley landform in Southern California that is populated by nearly one million people, and which includes the famed tourist destination, Palm Springs, California....
 and Imperial valleys on the north and south side of the Salton Sea
Salton Sea

The Salton Sea is a saline lake, occupying the lowest elevations of the Salton Sink, part of the larger Colorado Desert in Southern California, United States, north of the Imperial Valley ....
 respectively. It is crossed by several mountain ranges, including the San Jacinto
San Jacinto Mountains

The San Jacinto Mountains are a mountain range east of Los Angeles, California in southern California in the United States. The mountains are named for Saint Hyacinth ....
, Santa Rosa
Santa Rosa Mountains (California)

The Santa Rosa Mountains are a short Peninsular Ranges mountain range east of Los Angeles, California and northeast of San Diego, California in southern California in the United States....
, Little San Bernardino
Little San Bernardino Mountains

The Little San Bernardino Mountains are short Peninsular Ranges mountain range in southern California in the United States. They extend for approximately 40 mi southeast from the San Bernardino Mountains through San Bernardino County, California and Riverside County, California counties to the northeast edge of the Salton Sea....
, and Chocolate
Chocolate Mountains

The Chocolate Mountains of California are located in Imperial County and Riverside County in the Colorado Desert in southern California. The mountains stretch more than 60 miles in a northwest to southeast direction, and are located east of the Salton Sea and south and west of the Chuckwalla Mountains....
 mountains.

In this region, the geology is dominated by the transition of the tectonic plate boundary from rift to fault. The southernmost strands of the San Andreas Fault
San Andreas Fault

The San Andreas Fault is a geologic transform fault that runs a length of roughly 800 miles through California in the United States. The fault's motion is dextral strike-slip ....
 connect the northern-most extensions of the East Pacific Rise
East Pacific Rise

The East Pacific Rise is a mid-oceanic ridge, a divergent tectonic plate boundary located along the floor of the Pacific Ocean. It separates the Pacific Plate to the west from the North American Plate, the Rivera Plate, the Cocos Plate, the Nazca Plate, and the Antarctic Plate....
. Consequently, the region is subject to earthquakes, and the crust is being stretched, resulting in a sinking of the terrain over time.

Ecology and conservation

There are several protected areas within the Colorado Desert, including state and federal land ownership. Numerous rare and endangered species
Endangered species

An endangered species is a population of an organism which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters....
 are found in the Colorado Desert. One of the notable trees found in scattered oases is the California Fan Palm, Washingtonia filifera
Washingtonia filifera

Washingtonia filifera , common names Desert Fan Palm, American Cotton palm, Arizona Fan Palm, or California Fan Palm) is a Arecaceae native to the desert oasis of Central, southern and southwestern Arizona, southern Nevada, extreme northwest Mexico and the inland deserts of Southern California....
.

Joshua Tree National Park
Joshua Tree National Park

File:JoshuatreeNP.jpgJoshua Tree National Park is located in southeastern California. Declared a U.S. National Park in 1994, it had previously been a U.S....
 is located on the northern edge of the region and includes many of the unique species and habitats of the region. Santa Rosa and San Jacinto National Monument, created in 2000, encompasses much of the San Jacinto and Santa Rosa mountains along the western side of the region.

Big Morongo Canyon Preserve
Big Morongo Canyon Preserve

The Big Morongo Canyon Preserve is a 31,000 acres  wildlife preserve located in southern California, west of Joshua Tree National Park....
 is located in the Little San Bernardino Mountains and spans the Mojave
Mojave Desert

The Mojave Desert , , locally referred to as the High Desert, occupies a significant portion of southeastern California and smaller parts of central California, southern Nevada, and northwestern Arizona, in the United States....
 and Colorado Deserts. It was identified as an area of concern by the Bureau of Land Management in 1982.

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is a state protected land located in Southern California primarily within eastern San Diego County, with portions within Imperial County and Riverside County....
, the second largest state park in the contiguous United States, covers 600,000 acres (2400 km²) from the edge of the coastal mountains east of San Diego to the Salton Sea and south almost to the Mexico–United States border.

Photos from the Colorado Desert


External links

  • from site