Patch of Mojave Ecoregion n vicinity of Poachie Range; Wikieup – Hoover Dam;
Location: The Mojave Basin and Range is located in southeastern California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah, and northwestern Arizona.
Climate: The ecoregion has a dry, subtropical desert climate, marked by hot summers and warm winters. The mean annual temperature is approximately 5°C at high elevations, and 24°C in the lowest basins. Death Valley, in the central part of the region, is one of the hottest places on the continent, with summer temperatures sometimes reaching over 56°C. The frost-free period ranges from 150 days in colder areas to 350 days in the warmer valleys. Mean annual precipitation is 167 mm, and ranges from 50 to over 900 mm on the wetter high peaks. Snow occurs in the mountains, but is uncommon at lower elevations.
Vegetation: The desert vegetation is sparse, predominantly creosote bush, compared to the mostly saltbush-greasewood and Great Basin sagebrush of ecoregion to the north, or creosote bush, sage and palo verde-cactus shrub and saguaro cactus in the Sonoran Desert to the south. In the Mojave, creosote bush, white bursage, Joshua-tree and other yuccas, and blackbrush are typical. On alkali flats, saltbush, saltgrass, alkali sacaton, and iodinebush are found. In the mountains, sagebrush, juniper, singleleaf pinyon, ponderosa pine, white fir, limber pine, and some bristlecone pine (the world’s longest- living trees) occur.
Hydrology: Surface water is scarce; if present, streams are mostly intermittent and ephemeral. The Colorado River crosses the eastern portion of the region. Some springs, seeps, and ponds occur.
Terrain: This ecoregion contains scattered north-south trending mountains that are generally lower than those of the Central Basin and Range. Broad basins, valleys, and old lakebeds occur between the ranges, with long alluvial fans. Elevations range from 85 m below sea level in Death Valley, to more than 3,300 masl on the highest mountain peaks. Deep Quaternary alluvial deposits are present on valley floors and alluvial fans. Geology is complex, with intrusive granitics and other igneous rocks, recent volcanics, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks, including some carbonates. Typical soils are Aridisols and Entisols with a thermic and hyperthermic soil temperature regime and aridic soil moisture regime.
Wildlife: Representative wildlife include desert bighorn sheep, pronghorn, coyote, kit fox, black-tail jackrabbit, desert cottontail rabbit, greater roadrunner, Gambel’s quail, mourning dove, desert tortoise, and rattlesnake.
Land Use/Human Activities: Most of this region is federally owned and there is relatively little grazing activity because of the lack of water and forage for livestock. Public and federal land is in the form of national parks and numerous military reservations. Another economic activity is mining of silver, gold, talc, boron, and borate minerals. Recreation and tourism are also important. Heavy use of off-road vehicles and motorcycles in some areas has caused severe wind and water erosion problems. Large cities include Kingman.
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-CREDITS-
Ecoregion Facts:
Commission for Environmental Cooperation; North American Terrestrial Ecoregions—Level III; April 2011. Sierra Resource Group; The Chloride Copper Mine.
Location:
Photos taken in October 2013 along highways-
I-40, I-10, Routes 60, 93, 95
Original Photography:
Just Another Nature Enthusiast Photography by Jane Wilson is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
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