California History: Geography

California size

1. 800 miles from north to south 2. 150-350 miles from west to east 3. 163,693 square miles 4. Third largest state in land size 5. Boarders Arizona, Oregon, Nevada and Mexico

The Sierra Nevada (the Snowy Range)

1. About 400 miles long and follows the eastern border of the state, forming the eastern wall of the Central Valley 2. The mountains were formed through extensive uplifting and subsidence and are characterized as fault-block mountains. The backbone of the range is igneous rock. 3. They are the highest mountains in California, with many serrated peaks around 13,000 feet. Mount Whitney is located at the southern end. 4. The peaks have sharp drop-offs on the eastern side and have been a barrier to east/west transportation. The mountains have gentle slopes on the western side, which has trapped water to the benefit of Central Valley agriculture. 5. Sierra Nevada streams cut deep valleys. Gold was discovered in these streams where it was eroded from veins in the rocks. 6. The Sierra Nevada causes a rain-shadow effect: Clouds rise against the high mountain peaks, causing them to drop their moisture. This has created fertile valleys on the west side and a dry landscape on the east side. 7. Ice glaciers have created the current mountain profiles. Yosemite National Park's U-shaped valleys were carved by glacial action 8. Southern California is dependent upon the average, annual 70 inches of rain and snow that fall on the Sierra Nevada for its water supply

California Geology

1. Evidences faulting, folding, alluvial and sedimentary deposition, and volcanic activity 2. Frequent seismic activity. San Andreas fault runs 500 miles. West side moves north, East side moves south.

The Klamath Mountains

1. Located in the northwestern corner of the states 2. They are an extension of the Coast Ranges 3. The mountains are rugged, steep, and in the 6,000- to 8,000-foot range 4. The area receives heavy precipitation, and dense forests cover the mountains

Death Valley

1. Lowest point in North America 2. Hottest and driest in America 3. Found on the edge of the Great Basin near California

Highest and Lowest points in California

1. Mount Whitney at 14,495 feet 2. Death Valley at 282 feet below sea level

California's Topography

1. Rugged mountain peaks 2. Fertile Valleys 3. Dense forests 4. Ocean boundaries 5. Extensive deserts

California Rivers/Lakes

1. San Joaquin 2. Sacramento 3. Trinity 4. Colorado 5. Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake in the U.S.

The Central Valley

1. Separates the Sierra Nevada and the Coast Range 2. Extends from the northwest to the southeast for 400 miles and is an average of 50 miles wide 3. The valley is a flat, sedimentary plain. The soil is fertile and makes the valley the major agricultural region of the state. 4. 60% of California's farmland is located in the Central Valley 5. A majority of the state's water supply is caught in the Central Valley as runoff from the Sierra Nevada 6. The Sacramento Delta, encompassing 1,200 square miles of waterways, is located where the Sacramento (south-flowing) and San Joaquin (north-flowing) rivers meet

California Mountain Ranges

1. Sierra Nevada 2. Cascades 3. Trinity Alps 4. Klamath Mountains

California Climates

1. Southern California is Mediterranean 2. Coastal climate is mild 3. Interior climate is much more extreme 4. Interior basins have the most extreme temps

Seven Regions of California

1. The Coast Ranges 2. The Klamath Mountains 3. The Sierra Nevada 4. The Central Valley 5. The Basin and Range 6. The Cascade Range and Modoc Plateau 7. The Transverse and Peninsular ranges

The Cascade Range and Modoc Plateau

1. The southern extreme of the Cascade Range is located in the northeastern corner of California. It extends 550 miles northward into Canada. 2. The area is separate from the Sierra Nevada and is about 25 miles wide 3. The Cascade Range mountains were formed exclusively by volcanic activity. Many, like Mt. Shasta (14,162 feet), are dormant or extinct volcanoes 4. Lassen Peak is the largest plug-dome (filled with magma) volcano in the world 5. The Modoc Plateau is a level tableland of volcanic origin

Coast Ranges

1. There are mountain ranges along the western coast of California, extending from the Klamath Mountains in the north (Oregon border region) to the southwestern section of the Sierra Nevada (Southern California) 2. The San Andreas Fault system divides this region along a north/south axis 3. The range is approx. 550 miles long 4. The plant diversity ranges from giant redwoods in the north to chaparral in the south 5. The mountains are a series of parallel ranges formed by sedimentary deposition uplifted by faulting and folding 6. The climate of the Coast Ranges varies from low-pressure areas that produce fog and rain in the northern sections to a Mediterranean-type condition in the south

The Transverse and Peninsular ranges

1. This area extends from Santa Barbara to San Diego 2. The Transverse/Los Angeles ranges extend in an easterly (transverse) direction from the coast. (All other California ranges extend north and south.) 3. These ranges include the Santa Ynez, Santa Monica, San Gabriel, and San Bernadino mountains 4. The Los Angeles Basin is the state's largest coastal basin and was formed by the alluvial deposition of soil from the surrounding mountain ranges 5. The Penninsular ranges extend south from the San Bernadino Mountains in Baja California and from the Pacific Ocean east to the Salton Sea Trough 6. The faulted eastern sections of the Peninsular ranges are characterized by sharp drop-offs. It is a complex region of active fault zones. Significant faults include the San Jacinto (near Palm Springs) and the Elsinore.

The Basin and Range

1. This extreme landscape of short, parallel mountain ranges and desert basins extends along the eastern border of California ---The northern section is part of a lava plateau ---The southern section is generally dry. The Mojave Desert is the major geographical feature in the south. 2. The Northwest and Southwest Great Basin, the Northwestern Sonoran Desert, and the Salton Sea Trough are significant areas in this region 3. Death Valley (in the Mojave Desert), the lowest point in the U.S., was formed by faulting (not erosion) 4. The system extends in to Nevada and Utah 5. Irrigation with water from the Colorado River has allowed large-scale farming in the Imperial and Coachella valleys

Cascade Range and Modoc Plateau map

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Basin and Range map

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The Transverse and Peninsular ranges map

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The Central Valley map

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The Sierra Nevada map

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Coast Ranges map

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The Klamath Mountains map

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