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ic center of california about 7 1 miles 11 4 km driving distance from the united states forest service office in the community of north fork earth scientists typically divide the state into eleven geomorphic provinces with clearly defined boundaries they are from north to south the klamath mountains the cascade range the modoc plateau the basin and range the coast ranges the central valley the sierra nevada the transverse ranges the mojave desert the peninsular ranges and the colorado desert state boundaries edit the boundaries of california were defined by spanish claims of mexico as part of the province of alta california the northern boundary of spanish claims was set at 42 degrees latitude by the adams onis treaty of 1819 1 the states of nevada and utah also originally part of alta california also use that line for their northern boundaries the southern boundary between california and mexico was established by the treaty of guadalupe hidalgo that ended the mexican american war in 1848 the line is about 30 miles 48 km north of the former alta california southern boundary the eastern boundary consists of two straight lines a north south line from the northern border to the middle of lake tahoe and a second line angling southeast to the colorado river from that point 14 miles 23 km south southwest of davis dam on lake mohave the southeast boundary follows the colorado river to the international border west of yuma arizona the eastern and south eastern boundaries were decided upon during the debates of the california constitutional convention in 1849 northern california edit main article northern california mount shasta from interstate 5 northern california usually refers to the state s northernmost 48 counties the main population centers of northern california include the san francisco bay area which includes the cities of san francisco oakland and the largest city of the region san jose and sacramento the state capital as well as its metropolitan area it also contains redwood forests along with the sierra nevada including yosemite valley and lake tahoe mount shasta the second highest peak in the cascade range after mount rainier in washington and the northern half of the central valley one of the world s most productive agricultural regions the climate can be generally characterized by its marine to warm mediterranean climates along the coast to a somewhat continental mediterranean climate in the valley to alpine climate zones in the high mountains apart from the san francisco bay area and sacramento metropolitan areas and some other cities in the central valley it is a region of relatively low population density northern california s economy is noted for being the de facto world leader in industries such as high technology both software and semiconductor as well as being known for clean power biomedical government and finance klamath mountains edit alpine tarn in the trinity alps the klamath mountains are a range in northwest california and southwest oregon the highest peak being mount eddy in trinity county california at 9 037 feet 2 754 m 2 the range has a varied geology with substantial areas of serpentine and marble the climate is characterized by moderately cold winters with heavy snowfall and warm very dry summers with limited rainfall 3 as a consequence of the geology the mountains have a unique flora including several endemic or near endemic species such as lawson s cypress chamaecyparis lawsoniana and foxtail pine pinus balfouriana brewer s spruce picea breweriana and kalmiopsis kalmiopsis leachiana are relict species remaining since the last ice age 4 cascade range edit the cascade range is a mountainous region stretching from the fraser river in british columbia canada down to south of lassen peak california 5 the cascades as they are called for short are part of the pacific ring of fire the ring of volcanoes around the pacific ocean 6 all of the known historic eruptions in the contiguous united states have been from either cascade volcanoes or near mono lake 7 7 lassen peak was the last cascade volcano to erupt in california from 1914 to 1921 lassen is the most southerly active volcano of the cascade chain 8 this region is located in the northeastern section of the state bordering oregon and nevada mostly north of the central valley and the sierra nevada mountain range the area is centered on mount shasta near the trinity alps mount shasta is a dormant volcano but there is some evidence that it erupted in the 18th century 7 99 modoc plateau edit in the northeast corner of the state lies the modoc plateau an expanse of lava flows that formed a million years ago and now lie at an altitude of 4 000 to 5 000 feet 1 200 to 1 500 m 9 the plateau has many cinder cones juniper flats pine forests and seasonal lakes 10 the plateau lies between the cascade range to the west and the warner mountains to the east 9 the lost river watershed drains the north part of the plateau while southern watersheds either collect in basin reservoirs or flow into big sage reservoir and thence to the pit river nine percent of the plateau is protected as reserves or wilderness areas 9 such as the modoc national wildlife refuge 11 the plateau supports large herds of mule deer odocoileus hemionus rocky mountain elk cervus canadensis and pronghorn antilocapra americana 9 herds of wild horses and livestock grazing have altered the original high desert ecosystem of the plateau 9 basin and range edit mono lake to the east of the sierra is the basin and range geological province which extends into nevada the basin and range is a series of mountains and valleys specifically horsts and grabens caused by the extension of the earth s crust 12 one notable feature of the basin and range is mono lake which is the oldest lake in north america 13 the basin and range also contains the owens valley the deepest valley in north america more than 10 000 feet 3 km deep as measured from the top of mount whitney 14 in the eastern part of the state below the sierra nevada there is a series of dry lake beds that were filled with water during the last ice age fed by ice melt from alpine glaciers but never directly affected by glaciation see pluvial 15 many of these lakes have extensive evaporite deposits that contain a variety of different salts in fact the salt sediments of many of these lake beds have been mined for many years for various salts most notably borax this is most famously true for owens lake and death valley in this province reside the white mountains which are home to the oldest living organism in the world the bristlecone pine 16 coast ranges edit skyline boulevard along the crest of the santa cruz mountains to the west of the central valley lies the coast ranges including the diablo range just east of san francisco and the santa cruz mountains to the south of san francisco the coast ranges north of san francisco become increasingly foggy and rainy these mountains are noted for their coast redwoods the tallest trees on earth which live within the range of the coastal fog central valley edit california s geography is largely defined by its central feature the central valley a huge fertile valley between the coastal mountain ranges and the sierra nevada the northern part of the central valley is called the sacramento valley after its main river and the southern part is called the san joaquin valley ˌ s æ n w ɑː ˈ k iː n after its main river the whole central valley is watered by mountain fed rivers notably the san joaquin kings and sacramento that drain to the san francisco bay system the rivers are sufficiently large and deep that several inland cities notably stockton and sacramento are seaports the southern tip of the valley has interior drainage and thus is not technically part of the valley at all tulare lake with an area of 570 square miles 1 476 km 2 once filled much of the area in modern times it is usually a dry lake and partially covered with agricultural fields the lake reappears during unusually high levels of rainfall or snow melt such as the winter of 2022 and early spring of 2023 sierra nevada edit little lakes valley in the eastern sierra nevada in the east of the state lies the sierra nevada which runs north south for 400 miles 640 km the highest peak in the contiguous united states mount whitney at 14 505 feet 4 42 km lies within the sierra nevada the topography of the sierra is shaped by uplift and glacial action the sierra has 200 250 sunny days each year warm summers fierce winters and varied terrain a rare combination of rugged variety and pleasant weather the famous yosemite valley lies in the central sierra the large deep freshwater lake tahoe lies to the north of yosemite the sierra is also home to the giant sequoia the most massive trees on earth the most famous hiking and horse packing trail in the sierra is the john muir trail which goes from the top of mount whitney to yosemite valley this is part of the pacific crest trail that goes from mexico to canada the three major national parks in this province are yosemite national park kings canyon national park and sequoia national park southern california edit the ten southernmost counties 17 california s mountain barrier 18 southern california may be defined by latitude or by significant mountain barriers main articles southern california and geography of southern california the term southern california usually refers to the ten southernmost counties which closely match the lower one third of california s span of latitude this definition coincides neatly with the county lines at 35 47 28 north latitude which form the northern borders of san luis obispo kern and san bernardino counties geographically southern california is separated from the north by the transverse ranges and the sierra nevada range creating a significant biological barrier historically this barrier also limited human movement and commerce 19 18 20 southern california consists of a heavily developed urban environment home to some of the largest urban areas in the state along with vast areas that have been left undeveloped with over 22 million people roughly 60 of california s population resides in southern california it is the second largest urbanized region in the united states second only to the washington philadelphia new york boston northeastern megalopolis where these cities are dense with major downtown populations and significant rail and transit systems much of southern california is famous for its large spread out suburban communities and use of automobiles and highways the dominant areas are los angeles orange county san diego and riverside san bernardino each of which is the center of its respective metropolitan area composed of numerous smaller cities and communities the urban area is also host to an international metropolitan region in the form of san diego tijuana created by the urban area spilling over into baja california southern california is noted for industries including the film industry residential construction entertainment industry and military aerospace other industries include software automotive ports finance tourism biomedical and regional logistics transverse ranges edit mount san gorgonio the highest mountain in southern california even after the snow melts in san bernardino the san bernardino mountains in the background retain the snow southern california is separated from the rest of the state by the east west trending transverse ranges the transverse ranges include a series of east west trending mountain ranges that extend from point conception at the western tip of santa barbara county eastward and a bit south to the east end of the san jacinto mountains in western riverside county the santa ynez mountains make up the westernmost ranges extending from point conception to the ventura river just west northwest of ojai in ventura county pine mountain ridge nordhoff ridge topatopa mountains rincon peak red mountain sulphur mountain santa paula ridge south mountain oat mountain santa susana mountains simi hills conejo mountains santa monica mountains are all part of the western transverse ranges in ventura and western los angeles counties the transverse ranges also include the tehachapi mountains which separate the central valley from the mojave desert the liebre mountains occupy the northwest corner of los angeles county and represent a northwestern extension of the san gabriel mountains both on the pacific plate side of the san andreas fault the fault divides the san gabriel mountains from the san bernardino mountains further to the east in san bernardino county urban southern california occupies the valleys between the santa susana mountains santa monica mountains and san gabriel mountains which range from the pacific coast eastward over 100 miles 160 km to the san bernardino mountains north of san bernardino the highest point of the range is mount san gorgonio at 11 499 feet 3 505 m the san gabriel mountains have mount wilson observatory where the redshift was discovered in the 1920s it is possible to surf in the pacific ocean and ski on a mountain during the same winter day in southern california mojave desert edit badwater basin the lowest point in north america at 279 feet 85 m there are harsh deserts in the southeast of california these deserts are caused by a combination of the cold offshore current which limits evaporation and the rain shadow of the mountains the prevailing winds blow from the ocean inland when the air passes over the mountains adiabatic cooling causes most water in the air to rain on the mountains when the air returns to sea level on the other side of the mountains it recompresses warms and dries parching the deserts when the wind blows from inland the resulting hot dry katabatic winds are called the santa ana winds the mojave desert is bounded by the peninsular tehachapi mountains on the northwest together with the san gabriel and the san bernardino mountains on the southwest these western boundaries are quite distinct forming the dominant pie slice shaped antelope valley in southern california the outlines of this valley are caused by the two largest faults in california the san andreas and the garlock the mojave desert extends eastward into the state of nevada the mojave desert receives less than 6 inches 150 mm of rain a year and is generally between 3 000 and 6 000 feet 1 000 and 2 000 m of elevation areas such as the antelope valley desert which is a high desert received snow each year in the past it could snow 2 3 times a year however recently snow level has declined significantly to once a year or less most of the towns and cities in the california portion of the mojave are relatively small except for palmdale and lancaster however some are quite famous like barstow a popular stop on the famous u s route 66 the mojave desert also contains the lowest hottest place in the americas death valley where temperature normally approaches 120 f...
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