San Cristobal Wash
Encyclopedia
The San Cristobal Wash is an ephemeral
wash and watercourse of the San Cristobal Valley
, flowing north into the Gila River Valley
of the southwestern desert region of Arizona. Besides Death Valley
, the Chihuahuan Desert
area, and regions of Baja Peninsula North America, the southeast California deserts along the Lower Colorado River Valley
, this drainage region is in the harshest desert regions of North America.
The wash flows northwesterly with the alignment of the northwest-southeast trending mountains and valleys of the former Basin and Range
mountain ranges. The washes and arroyos combine into the San Cristobal Wash which enters the San Cristobal Valley
at the south. The wash ends its watercourse one third of the way into the valley, and disappears about 8 miles (13 km) south of the Gila River
. The majority of the wash lies in the southeast of Yuma County
, but southeast drainages from the Growler Valley area drain extreme western Pima County
.
Southern portions of the San Cristobal Wash extend to the southern ends of two valleys and the drainage bifurcates
, draining the Mohawk Valley
southeasterly on the west and the southern-(south-flowing into headwaters of San Cristobal Wash), Growler Valley, on the east.
Drainages going northwest combine from the southeast into the San Cristobal Wash: the Growler Wash from the Growler Valley
east of the Granite Mountains (Arizona)
, and east of there the Daniels Arroyo, which flows adjacent to the Tenmile Wash
Drainage in the Childs Valley
of southern Arizona, Pima County. The Tenmile Wash Drainage is the next upstream drainage on the south, to the Gila River-(before the Gila makes its turn from the north).
Downstream, the next and last watershed drainage for the Gila River is the Lower Gila Watershed. The southeast border of the San Cristobal drainage is the Tule Desert Drainage, where the Tule Desert (Arizona)
has a drainage south into Sonora
, Mexico.
Ephemeral
Ephemeral things are transitory, existing only briefly. Typically the term is used to describe objects found in nature, although it can describe a wide range of things....
wash and watercourse of the San Cristobal Valley
San Cristobal Valley
The San Cristobal Valley is a valley in the lower regions of the western Gila River valley in southwestern Arizona in the western Sonoran Desert...
, flowing north into the Gila River Valley
Gila River Valley
The Gila River Valley is a multi-sectioned valley of the Gila River, mostly in Arizona. The Gila River forms in western New Mexico and flows west across southern-eastern, south-central, and southwestern Arizona; it changes directions across the state, and defines specific areas and valleys...
of the southwestern desert region of Arizona. Besides Death Valley
Death Valley
Death Valley is a desert valley located in Eastern California. Situated within the Mojave Desert, it features the lowest, driest, and hottest locations in North America. Badwater, a basin located in Death Valley, is the specific location of the lowest elevation in North America at 282 feet below...
, the Chihuahuan Desert
Chihuahuan Desert
The Chihuahuan Desert is a desert, and an ecoregion designation, that straddles the U.S.-Mexico border in the central and northern portions of the Mexican Plateau, bordered on the west by the extensive Sierra Madre Occidental range, and overlaying northern portions of the east range, the Sierra...
area, and regions of Baja Peninsula North America, the southeast California deserts along 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...
, this drainage region is in the harshest desert regions of North America.
The wash flows northwesterly with the alignment of the northwest-southeast trending mountains and valleys of the former Basin and Range
Basin and Range
The Basin and Range Province is a vast physiographic region defined by a unique topographic expression. Basin and Range topography is characterized by abrupt changes in elevation, alternating between narrow faulted mountain chains and flat arid valleys or basins...
mountain ranges. The washes and arroyos combine into the San Cristobal Wash which enters the San Cristobal Valley
San Cristobal Valley
The San Cristobal Valley is a valley in the lower regions of the western Gila River valley in southwestern Arizona in the western Sonoran Desert...
at the south. The wash ends its watercourse one third of the way into the valley, and disappears about 8 miles (13 km) south of 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:...
. The majority of the wash lies in the southeast of Yuma County
Yuma County, Arizona
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*70.4% White*2.0% Black*1.6% Native American*1.2% Asian*0.2% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*3.8% Two or more races*20.8% Other races*59.7% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
, but southeast drainages from the Growler Valley area drain extreme western Pima County
Pima County, Arizona
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*74.3% White*3.5% Black*3.3% Native American*2.6% Asian*0.2% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*3.7% Two or more races*12.4% Other races*34.6% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
.
Southern portions of the San Cristobal Wash extend to the southern ends of two valleys and the drainage bifurcates
River bifurcation
River bifurcation occurs when a river flowing in a single stream separates into two or more separate streams which continue downstream. Some rivers form complex networks of distributaries, especially in their deltas...
, draining the Mohawk Valley
Mohawk Valley (Arizona)
The Mohawk Valley is a valley in the lower regions of the western Gila River Valley in southwestern Arizona in the western Sonoran Desert....
southeasterly on the west and the southern-(south-flowing into headwaters of San Cristobal Wash), Growler Valley, on the east.
Drainages going northwest combine from the southeast into the San Cristobal Wash: the Growler Wash from the Growler Valley
Growler Valley
The Growler Valley is a valley of south-central Arizona west of Ajo, Arizona.Growler Valley is a 65-mile long valley paralleling the Growler Mountains on the east-, and the Granite Mountains on the west....
east of the Granite Mountains (Arizona)
Granite Mountains (Arizona)
The Granite Mountains is a mountain range in the Sonoran Desert of southern Arizona. It is located in extreme western Pima County, Arizona, bordering southeast Yuma County....
, and east of there the Daniels Arroyo, which flows adjacent to the Tenmile Wash
Tenmile Wash
Tenmile Wash is an ephemeral wash and watercourse about long in the northern Sonoran Desert of south-central Arizona. It forms the eastern drainage of a two drainage system of dry washes into the Gila River Valley; both flow northwesterly, and the western drainage is the San Cristobal Wash...
Drainage in the Childs Valley
Childs Valley
The Childs Valley is a valley in the Sonoran Desert of south-central Arizona west of Ajo. Upstream sections are located in far western Pima County; downstream it merges into the Gila River Valley in southwestern Maricopa County...
of southern Arizona, Pima County. The Tenmile Wash Drainage is the next upstream drainage on the south, to the Gila River-(before the Gila makes its turn from the north).
Downstream, the next and last watershed drainage for the Gila River is the Lower Gila Watershed. The southeast border of the San Cristobal drainage is the Tule Desert Drainage, where the Tule Desert (Arizona)
Tule Desert (Arizona)
The Tule Desert is a small desert located in southwestern Arizona near the U.S.-Mexico border. It is considered to be part of the Lower Colorado Valley region of the Sonoran Desert. It lies in a north-south direction to the east of the Cabeza Prieta Mountains and almost entirely in the Barry M....
has a drainage south into Sonora
Sonora
Sonora officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 72 municipalities; the capital city is Hermosillo....
, Mexico.