Mojave Desert Scenery Photo By Adam Jones – Wikimedia Commons

Top 10 Interesting Facts About Mojave Desert


 

The Mojave Desert is xeric in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada mountains in the Southwestern United States. The desert covers an area of 124,000 km².

Its desert climate is characterized by extreme variation in daily temperature, with frequent winter frosts, and average annual precipitation of 2 to 6 inches (50 to 150 mm). The most rain falls between November and April, with occasional snow accumulation in the mountains. Summer thunderstorms (called Monsoons) may bring sudden, heavy rainfall

Joined together with the Sonoran, Great Basin, and the Chihuahuan deserts they form the North American Desert.

The top 10 interesting facts are-:

1. It Lies in the Four States

This vast desert is located within the borders of four U.S. states. Most of it is in southeastern California and southwestern Nevada. It also has small portions extending into Arizona and Utah.  

2. It Is Surrounded by Mountain Ranges and Other Deserts

The Mojave Desert is bordered by two other famous North American Deserts, the Great Basin Desert to the north, which is higher in elevation on average, and the Sonoran Desert to the south and east, which is generally lower in elevation.

It’s also bordered by several famous mountain ranges. The Tehachapi Mountains and The Sierra Pelona Ridge are to the west. Then there is the Sierra Nevada and The Inyo Mountains to the northwest. The San Gabriel and The San Bernardino Mountains are to the desert’s south.

The boundary of the mountain ranges is quite distinct because these mountains were created by the two major fault lines in California. The San Andreas fault line and the Garlock fault lines.

3. Death Valley

Death Valley in the Mojave Desert Photo By PLBechly – Wikimedia

Death Valley is a desert valley within the Mojave Desert. it is one of the hottest places on Earth during summer. The main reason this area is so hot is that it’s also the lowest place in North America with an elevation of 282 feet (85.5 meters) below sea level.

The valley is extremely dry because it lies in the rain shadow of four major mountain ranges. Moisture moving inland from the Pacific Ocean must pass eastward over the mountains to reach Death Valley.

As air masses are forced upward by each range, they cool, and moisture condenses, to fall as rain or snow on the western slopes. When the air masses reach Death Valley, most of the moisture in the air has already been lost and thus there is little left to fall as precipitation.

4. Highest and Lowest Peaks of High Desert

Badwater At -282 feet or 86 meters below sea level. This is the lowest point in North America
Photo By InSapphoWeTrust – Wikimedia Commons

The Badwater Salt pan is the lowest area in Death Valley with an elevation of 282 feet (85.5 meters) below sea level. This is in contrast with the highest peak in the Mojave Desert, called Charleston Peak, which is located at 11,918 feet (3,633 meters) above sea level.

Even though Death Valley has the lowest point in North America, most parts of the desert are between 2,000 and 5,000 feet (610 and 1,520 meters) above sea level.

The Mojave Desert is referred to as the “High Desert” while the valleys and the Colorado River basin in the east of the desert are referred to as the “Low Desert.”

5. The Joshua Tree

The Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia) is endemic and exclusive to the Mojave Desert
Photo By Jarek Tuszyński – Wikimedia

The spiky Joshua Trees that populate this desert wonderland are an important part of the Mojave Desert ecosystem. They provide habitat for numerous birds, mammals, insects, and lizards.

Joshua tree forests tell a story of survival, resilience, and beauty borne through perseverance. One of the most remarkable facts about the Mojave Desert is that the presence of Joshua Trees also clearly indicates its boundaries as this remarkable plant doesn’t grow anywhere else!

6. The Extreme Temperatures in the Desert

In the Mojave Desert, the weather could only be measured in extremes. It is blisteringly hot during the day and bone-chilling at night. Also, the range in temperatures differs a lot based on the elevation levels.

The record temperature in the Badwater Salt Pan reaches 134 °F (57 °C). The peaks in the mountains can be covered in snow during the winter months while the temperature in the valleys never goes below 80 °F (27 °C).

7. Large Cities Close by

One of the most fascinating facts about the Mojave Desert is that despite its extremely arid climate and desolate landscape, the population within the borders of the desert is growing exponentially.

Las Vegas in Nevada, St. George in Utah, and Lancaster in California are the big cities located on the edge of the desert.

Las Vegas, the famous gambling and entertainment center in Nevada, is the largest metropolitan area within the desert with a population of nearly 2.5 million! Los Angeles metropolitan area is also located within the borders of the Mojave Desert and about 850,000 people live there as well.

8. Ghost Towns

Calico Ghost Town in Mojave Desert Photo By Wilson44691 – Wikimedia Commons

While there is a large number of smaller towns that have seen exponential growth as well, like Havasu City, Kingman, Laughlin, and Bullhead City among others, some towns have been completely abandoned.

Calico is one such town. The old settlement of Calico is about a mile east on Barstow. It was one of the major mining cities that sprang up in the region from 1881 to 1896.

When the silver market deteriorated in 1894, the silver mine shut down, and Calico rapidly began to decline. By the turn of the 20th Century, it was a ghost town. Abandoned.

9. Kelso Dunes

Kelso Dunes, Mojave National Preserve, California, USA
Photo By Fabio Achilli – Wikimedia Commons

The Kelso Dunes are huge gravel dunes that formed from the sand of dry lake beds.  They’re part of a larger system of the ancient, wind-swept sandhill. The dune field is your classic desert feature with barren, dry, high-rising mountain ranges all around with long vistas of majestic sand dunes stretching out as far as the eye can see.

10. Lava Tubes

At the Mojave National Preserve, there is an underground path that crosses deep-black rocks and ends up at a Lava Tube. The tube is a tunnel made from cooled molten lava that has hardened over the years to form the tunnel.

Molten basaltic lava flowed across the area after an eruption. The lava on the surface cooled and hardened, although the underground lava kept flowing. This lava flow carved out tunnels and when the eruption finished, the lava flowed out of the tunnel, leaving behind a hole.

The tube is accessed through metal steps. Holes in the ceiling allow light to pierce the darkness.

 

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