Mojave Desert
239055
225410849
2008-07-13T15:17:58Z
72.25.81.28
fixed a link; a few more edits
''For the indigenous American tribe, see [[Mohave]].''
[[Image:JT17M.jpg|right|thumb|Mojave Desert scene in Joshua Tree National Park.]]
[[Image:Stgeorge 093 edited.jpg|thumb|right|California Fan Palms.]]
The '''Mojave Desert''' ({{pronEng|moʊˈhɑːvi}} or {{IPA|/məˈhɑːvi/}}), ('''Hayikwiir Mat'aar'''<ref>Munro, P et al. ''A Mojave Dictionary'' Los Angeles: UCLA, 1992</ref> in [[Mojave language|Mojave]]), locally referred to as the '''High Desert''', occupies a significant portion of southern [[California]] and smaller parts of [[central California]], southwestern [[Utah]], southern [[Nevada]], and northwestern [[Arizona]], in the United States.<!-- I've researched this fact out in a book at the Palmdale City Library. The book inside covers show via a map that parts of Utah, Nevada and Arizona are indeed part of the Mojave Desert. If you like, I'll be glad to check it out again and cite it, listing it as a reference here. Thanks. --> Named after the [[Mohave]] tribe of [[Native Americans of the United States|Native Americans]], it occupies well over {{convert|22000|sqmi|km2}} in a typical [[Basin and Range]] topography.
The Mojave Desert's boundaries are generally defined by the presence of [[Joshua Tree]]s — they are considered an [[indicator species]] for the desert. The topographical boundaries include the [[Tehachapi Mountains|Tehachapi]] together with the [[San Gabriel Mountains|San Gabriel]] and [[San Bernardino Mountains|San Bernardino]] mountain ranges. The mountain boundaries are quite distinct since they are outlined by the two largest faults in [[California]]: the [[San Andreas Fault|San Andreas]] and the [[Garlock Fault|Garlock]]. The [[Great Basin shrub steppe]] lies to the north; the warmer [[Sonoran Desert]] (the [[Low Desert]]) lies to the south and east. The [[desert]] is believed to support between 1,750 and 2,000 species of [[plant]]s.
==Climate==
[[Image:Usgs mojave desert.jpg|right|thumb|Extent of Mojave Desert. Green square is the area of a survey made by the USGS which covers 25,000 square miles.]]
The Mojave Desert receives less than 10 inches (250 mm) of rain a year and is generally between 3,000 and 6,000 feet (1,000 and 2,000 m) in elevation. The Mojave Desert also contains the [[Mojave National Preserve]], as well as the lowest and hottest place in [[North America]]: [[Death Valley National Park|Death Valley]], where the temperature normally approaches 120°F (49°C) in late July and early August. [[Zion National Park]], in [[Utah]], lies at the junction of the Mojave, the [[Great Basin]], and the [[Colorado Plateau]]. Despite its aridity, the Mojave (and particularly the [[Antelope Valley]] in its southwest) has long been a center of [[alfalfa]] production, fed by irrigation coming from [[groundwater]] and (in the 20th century) from the [[California Aqueduct]].
The Mojave is a desert of temperature extremes and four distinct seasons. Winter months bring temperatures dipping to below 20 °F (-7 °C) on valley floors, and below 0 °F (-18 °C) at higher elevations. Storms moving from the [[Pacific Northwest]] can bring rain and snow across the region — more often, the [[rain shadow]] created by the [[Sierra Nevada (U.S.)|Sierra Nevada]] as well as mountain ranges within the desert such as the [[Spring Mountains]] bring only clouds and wind. In longer periods between storm systems, winter temperatures in valleys can approach 80 °F (27 °C).
Spring weather continues to be influenced by Pacific storms, but rainfall is more widespread and occurs less frequently after April. By early June, it is rare for another Pacific storm to have a significant impact on the region's weather, and temperatures after mid-May are normally above 90 °F (32 °C) and frequently above 100 °F (38 °C).
Summer weather is dominated by heat — temperatures on valley floors can soar above 120 °F (49 °C) and above 130 °F (54 °C) at the lowest elevations — and the presence of the [[Monsoon|North American monsoon]]. Low humidity, high temperatures and low pressure draw in moisture from the [[Gulf of Mexico]], creating thunderstorms across the desert southwest. While the Mojave does not get nearly the amount of rainfall that the Sonoran desert to the east receives, monsoonal moisture will create thunderstorms as far west as California's [[Central Valley (California)|Central Valley]] from mid-June through early September.
Autumns are generally pleasant, with one to two Pacific storm systems creating regional rain events. October is one of the driest and sunniest months in the Mojave, and temperatures usually remain between 70 °F (21 °C) and 90 °F (32 °C) on the valley floors.
After temperature, wind is the most significant weather phenomenon in the Mojave. Across the region, windy days are common, and in areas near the transition between the Mojave and the California low valleys, including near [[Cajon Pass]], [[Soledad Canyon]] and the [[Tehachapi, California|Tehachapi]] areas. During the [[June Gloom]], cooler air can be pushed out into the desert from Southern California; in [[Santa Ana wind]] events, hot air from the desert blows out into the [[Los Angeles basin]] and other coastal areas. [[Wind farm]]s in these areas generate power from these winds.
The other major weather factor in the region is elevation. The highest peak within the Mojave is [[Charleston Peak]] at 11,918 feet (3,633 m), while [[Badwater]] in Death Valley is 282 feet (86 m) below sea level. Accordingly, temperatures and precipitation ranges wildly, in all seasons, across the region.
The Mojave Desert has not historically supported a fire regime because of low fuel loads and connectivity. However, in the last few decades, invasive annual plants (e.g., ''[[Bromus]]'' spp., ''Schismus'' spp., ''[[Brassica]]'' spp.) have facilitated fire, which has significantly altered many areas of the desert. At higher elevations, fire regimes are regular but infrequent.
==Cities and regions==
While the Mojave Desert itself is sparsely populated, it has increasingly become urbanized in recent years. [[Las Vegas, Nevada]] is the largest city in the Mojave, with a metropolitan population of around 1.9 million in 2006. [[Palmdale, California|Palmdale]] is the largest city in California in the desert, and over 850,000 people live in areas of the Mojave attached to the [[Greater Los Angeles]] metropolitan area, including Palmdale and [[Lancaster, California|Lancaster]] (referred to as the Antelope Valley); and [[Victorville, California|Victorville]] and [[Hesperia, California|Hesperia]] (referred to as the Victor Valley). Smaller cities in the Mojave include [[St. George, Utah|St. George]]; [[Lake Havasu City, Arizona|Lake Havasu City]]; [[Kingman, Arizona|Kingman]]; [[Laughlin, Nevada|Laughlin]]; [[Bullhead City, Arizona|Bullhead City]]; and [[Pahrump, Nevada|Pahrump]]. All have experienced rapid population growth since 1990.
Towns with fewer than 30,000 people in the Mojave include [[Barstow, California]]; [[Rosamond, California]]; [[Needles, California]]; [[Ridgecrest, California]]; [[Mesquite, Nevada]]; [[Hurricane, Utah]]; [[Moapa Valley, Nevada]]; [[California City, California]]; [[Twentynine Palms, California]]; [[Joshua Tree, California]]; [[Pioneertown, California]]; and [[Mojave, California]]. The California portion of the desert also contains [[Edwards Air Force Base]], the home of several past and current experimental aviation projects for the military.
The Great Mojave Desert contains a number of [[ghost town]]s, the most significant of these being the silver-mining town of [[Calico, California]] and the old railroad depot of [[Kelso, California|Kelso]]. Some of the other ghost towns are of the more modern variety, created when [[Route 66]] (and the lesser-known [[United States Highway 91|US Highway 91]]) were abandoned in favor of the [[Interstate highway|Interstates]]. The Mojave Desert is crossed by major highways [[Interstate 15]], [[Interstate 40]], [[US Highway 395]] and [[US Highway 95]].
Other than the [[Colorado River (U.S.)|Colorado River]] on the eastern half of the Mojave, few long streams cross the desert. The [[Mojave River]] is an important source of water for the southern parts of the desert. The [[Amargosa River]] flows from the Great Basin Desert south to near [[Beatty, Nevada]], then underground through [[Ash Meadows]] before returning to the surface near [[Shoshone, California]] and ending in [[Death Valley]].
==Tourism==
[[Image:Lakemeadnevada.jpg|thumb|right|Lake Mead provides much needed water for cities in Arizona, California, and Nevada]]
The Mojave Desert is one of the most popular tourism spots in North America, primarily because of gambling mecca Las Vegas. The desert is also known for its scenic beauty, with four national parks – [[Death Valley National Park|Death Valley]], [[Joshua Tree National Park|Joshua Tree]], [[Zion National Park|Zion]] and [[Grand Canyon National Park|Grand Canyon]] all within the desert or adjoining it. Lakes [[Lake Mead|Mead]], [[Lake Mohave|Mohave]] and [[Lake Havasu|Havasu]] provide watersport recreation, and vast off-road areas entice off-road enthusiasts. [[Hoover Dam]] is a popular tourist destination. Visitors get a chance to see the structure, the [[hydroelectric power]] plant, and hear the incredible history of the dam's construction during the [[Great Depression]].
Besides the major national parks there are other areas of identified significance and tourist interest in the desert such as the [[Big Morongo Canyon Preserve]], which spans the Mojave and [[Colorado Desert]], and the [[Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area]], {{convert|17|mi|km|0}} west of Las Vegas, both of which are managed by the Bureau of Land Management. The BLM also administers Rainbow Basin and Owl Canyon, two off-the-beaten-path scenic attractions north of Barstow. For the ATV/motorcycle crowd, the BLM runs several massive OHV areas in the Mojave, including Stoddard Valley, Johnson Valley, Basin and Dumont Dunes.
Among the more popular and unique tourist attractions in the Mojave is the self described [[world's tallest thermometer]] at {{convert|134|ft|m|1}} high, which is located along [[Interstate 15 in California|Interstate 15]] in [[Baker, California]]. The newly-renovated [[Kelso Depot]] and the massive [[Kelso Dunes]] in the nearby Mojave National Preserve are also popular recreation spots. Calico Ghost Town, in Yermo, is administered by San Bernardino County. The pseudo-authentic ghost town has several shops and attractions, and is said to have inspired [[Walter Knott]] to build [[Knott's Berry Farm]].
The [[Calico Early Man Site]], in the Calico Hills east of Yermo, is believed by some archaeologists, including the world-renowned [[Louis Leakey]], to house the earliest evidence of human activity on the North American continent.
==Mojave Desert in media==
*[[Louis L'Amour]]'s novel, The Lonesome Gods, is based on the Mojave Desert for its first half, from crossing the Colorado River at Arizona, to leading into the Coachella Valley as the protagonist reaches Agua Caliente, CA.
*The Kanye West music videos "Flashing Lights" and "Can't tell me nothing" is shot in the Mojave Desert
*In the [[MTV]] movie [[Beavis and Butthead Do America]], [[Beavis and Butthead]] are left stranded in the Mojave Desert where they meet their long-lost fathers, nearly die of thirst, and Beavis has psychedelic hallucinations after eating a peyote cactus. They are awakened by Muddy Grimes, who forces them at gunpoint to ride in his trunk.
*The Newcomer ship in ''[[Alien Nation (film)|Alien Nation]]'' hovered over the Mojave Desert at its fictional 1988 arrival.
*In Stephen King's short story [[The Langoliers]] a time rip is situated over the Mojave Desert.
*[[Nicole Krauss]]'s novel [[Man Walks Into A Room (novel)|Man Walks Into A Room]] takes place largely in the Mojave Desert. Its amnesiac protagonist is found wandering there, and later returns to an experimental facility situated there in order to undergo memory research.
*Fictional character Captain [[Christopher Pike (Star Trek)|Christopher Pike]] of the [[Star Trek]] universe called the Mojave his home, having grown up in the town of Mojave, built in what was once desert "wasteland".
*The play ''[[Fool For Love (play)|Fool For Love]]'', written and directed by [[Sam Shepard]] in 1983, takes place on the edge of the Mojave Desert.
*The [[Antonio Carlos Jobim]] album ''[[Wave (Jobim album)|Wave]]'' features a song called "Mojave".
*The Mojave Desert has been featured five times on the [[FOX Network|FOX]] drama series, ''[[24 (TV series)|24]]'':
**In the first season, terrorist, [[Mandy (24 character)|Mandy]], blew up a [[Boeing 747|747]] airplane and then parachuted into the Mojave Desert.
**In the second season, [[George Mason (24 character)|George Mason]] sacrifices his life to dispose of a nuclear bomb safely in the Mojave Desert.
**In the fourth season, [[Air Force One]] was shot down by a [[stealth fighter]] over the Mojave Desert and [[Jack Bauer]] had to go in and find the [[Nuclear Football]] briefcase, which was among the wreckage of the aircraft, before the terrorists could get it.
**In the first episode of the fifth season, Jack Bauer is living and working (under an assumed name in order to avoid detection by American or Chinese authorities) in the city of Mojave, California.
**In the sixth season, Anatoly Markov reveals that Fayed's and Gredenko's base of operations was Shadow Valley within the Mojave Desert.
*The stark back-drop for [[Madonna (entertainer)|Madonna]]'s 1997 comeback "[[Frozen (song)|Frozen]]" video is the desert shot through a cold filter.
*In the [[PlayStation]] video game [[Parasite Eve 2]], the majority of the storyline unfolds in a small town called Dryfield (said in game to be located in the Mojave desert).
*The [[music video]] for the [[Spice Girls]]' second single, "[[Say You'll Be There]]", was shot in this [[desert]] in [[September]] [[1996]].
*An album by [[U2]], released in 1987, is entitled The [[Joshua Tree]].
*The post-apocalyptic computer game [[Wasteland (computer game)|Wasteland]] is set in the area.
*Paulo Coelho's book, [[The Valkyries (novel)|The Valkyries]], is set in the Mojave Desert.
*The music video for the [[Interpol (band)|Interpol]] single "NYC" was shot at an [[airplane graveyard]] in the Mojave Desert.
*In the novel [[Nightrise]], by [[Anthony Horowitz]], Telepathic Twins Jamie and Scott Tyler are imprisoned in the Silent Creek juvenile center, located at the bottom of a basin in the Mojave Desert, in which a natural magnetic field is present capable of negating the abilities of those possessing powers of the mind ([[Telepathy]], [[Telekinesis]], etc).
*In the film [[Resident Evil: Extinction]], the characters traverse the Mojave Desert as they escape their undead enemies.
*The Frank Zappa song "San Bernadino" situates a woman living in the Mojave Desert in a Winnebago.
*[[The Killers]]' song [[Don't Shoot Me Santa]] references the Mojave Desert. The music video also takes place in the Mojave Desert.
*It was revealed in the [[Aqua Teen Hunger Force]] episode "Robots are Everywhere" that the Aqua Teens were being cocooned by military spiders in the Mojave desert.
*[[The All-American Rejects]] shot their music video for [[It Ends Tonight]] in the Mojave desert.
*[[The Automatic]] filmed there video for [[Steve McQueen (The Automatic song)|Steve McQueen]] in [[June]] [[2008]].
*The novel ''[[The Host (novel)|The Host]]'' by [[Stephenie Meyer]] takes place in the Mojave Desert.
*The former [[Mojave phone booth|Mojave Phone Booth]], located near Cima Dome in the Mojave National Preserve, spawned a handful of movies, including the award-winning short [[Dead Line]], and the booth was frequently featured in news media during the height of its popularity in 1999.
== Native Mojave plants and animals ==
=== Plants ===
* [[Abies concolor]]
* [[Astragalus newberryi]]
* [[Barrel Cactus]]
* [[Banana yucca]]
* [[Opuntia basilaris|Beaver Tail Prickly Pear]]
* [[California Fan Palm]]
* [[Camissonia campestris]] Mojave suncup
* [[Cooper dyssodia]]
* [[Death Valley monkeyflower]]
* [[Desert candle]]
* [[Desert five-spot]]
* [[Desert larkspur]]
* [[Desert Lily]]
* [[Desert rock pea]]
* [[Desert star]]
* [[Erigeron concinnus]]
* [[Ipomopsis arizonica]]
* [[Island Oak]] No longer found in the Mojave Desert.
* [[Joshua Tree]]
* [[Jojoba]]
* [[Jumping Cholla]]
* [[Larrea tridentata]]
* [[Linanthus demissus]]
* [[Lupinus arizonicus]]
* [[Mojave prickly poppy]]
* [[Mojave sage]]
* [[Mojave yucca]]
* [[Mormon Tea]]
* [[Pencil Cholla]]
* [[Phacelia calthifolia]]
* [[Phacelia crenulata]]
* [[Pinus monophylla]]
* [[Prairie clover]]
* [[Senna covesii]]
* [[Teddy-bear Cholla]]
* [[Utah Juniper]]
* [[White woolly daisy]]
* [[Wide-bannered lupine]]
=== Animals ===
* [[Chuckwalla]]
* [[Common Side-blotched Lizard]]
* [[Cougar]]
* [[Coyote]]
* [[Desert Bighorn Sheep]]
* [[Desert horned lizard]]
* [[Desert iguana]]
* [[Desert kit fox]]
* [[Desert night lizard]]
* [[Desert tortoise]]
* [[Fringe-toed lizard]]
* [[Gila Monster]]
* [[Glossy Snake]]
* [[Gopher Snake]]
* [[Crotaphytus bicinctores|Great Basin Collared Lizard]]
* [[Hummingbird]]
* [[Hare|Jackrabbit]]
* [[Kangaroo Rat]]
* [[Gambelia wislizenii|Long-nosed Leopard Lizard]]
* [[Crotalus scutulatus|Mojave Green Rattlesnake]]
* [[Mohave tui chub]] - an [[endangered species|endangered]] fish
* [[Mule Deer]]
* [[Pronghorn]]
* [[Red-spotted Toad]]
* [[Red-tailed Hawk]]
* [[Rosy boa]]
* [[Scorpion]]
* [[Tarantula]]
* [[Western Diamondback Rattlesnake]]
* [[Zebra-tailed lizard]]
==Gallery==
<center><gallery>
Image:Mojave_Pinnacles.jpg|Pinnacles National Natural Landmark
Image:Mojave_Kelso.jpg|[[Kelso Dunes|Kelso Sand Dunes]]
Image:Mojave_AftonCanyon.jpg|Slot Canyon in Afton Canyon
Image:Mojave_DustDevil.jpg|Dust Devil, El Mirage Dry Lake
Image:Mojave_CoyoteDryLake.jpg|Water hole, [[Coyote Dry Lake]]
Image:Mojave_Rainbow2.jpg|Rainbow Canyon, near the city of Barstow
Image:Mojave_Amboy.jpg|Amboy Crater
Image:Mojave_SummerStorm.jpg|Summer Storm
Image:Pioneerhomenearstgeorge.jpg|Pioneer cabin remains near St. George, Utah.
Image:Beaverdamwashmts.jpg|Beaver Dam Mountains in southwestern Utah.
Image:Zion 040.jpg|Virgin River Gorge, [[Arizona]].
Image:Rainbow Basin.JPG|Rainbow Basin [[Syncline]] near [[Barstow]], [[California]].
Image:Barrelsonacliff.jpg|Barrel cactus in Virgin River Gorge, Arizona.
Image:Joshuatreescape.jpg|Joshua trees in Washington County, Utah in the southwest corner of the state.
Image:Stgeorge 059 edited.jpg|Yucca plant.
Image:Stgeorge 074 edited.jpg|Virgin River in Mohave County, Arizona.
</gallery></center>
==See also==
{{commons|Mojave Desert}}
*[[Amboy Crater]]
*[[Death Valley]] and [[Death Valley National Park]]
*[[Lake Delores]]
*[[List of regions of the United States#California|List of California regions]]
*[[Mojave phone booth]]
*[[Mojave Road]]
*[[Palen Mountains]]
*[[Solar power plants in the Mojave Desert]]
*[[Sonora Desert]]
*[[Zzyzx Road]] A road that runs through the Mojave Desert
*[[Shrub-steppe]]
==External links==
*[http://www.cas.vanderbilt.edu/bioimages/ecoregions/51308frame.htm Mojave Desert images at bioimages.vanderbilt.edu] ([http://www.cas.vanderbilt.edu/bioimages/ecoregions/51308.htm slow modem version])
==References==
{{reflist}}
*''Mojave Desert Wildflowers'', Jon Mark Stewart, 1998, pg. iv
==Further reading==
*Miller, D.M. and Amoroso, L. (2007). ''Preliminary surficial geology of the Dove Spring off-highway vehicle open area, Mojave Desert, California'' [U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2006-1265]. Reston, VA: U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey.
{{Deserts}}
{{California}}
{{Nevada}}
{{Arizona}}
{{Utah}}
{{Colorado_River_system}}
[[Category:Mojave Desert| ]]
[[Category:Southwestern United States]]
[[Category:San Bernardino County, California]]
[[Category:Washington County, Utah]]
[[Category:Mohave County, Arizona]]
[[Category:Geography of Clark County, Nevada]]
[[Category:Lincoln County, Nevada]]
[[Category:Los Angeles County, California]]
[[Category:Inyo County, California]]
[[Category:Riverside County, California]]
[[Category:Nye County, Nevada]]
[[Category:Palmdale, California]]
[[ar:صحراء موييف]]
[[bg:Мохаве (пустиня)]]
[[de:Mojave-Wüste]]
[[et:Mojave kõrb]]
[[es:Desierto de Mojave]]
[[eo:Mojave-dezerto]]
[[eu:Mojave]]
[[fa:صحرای موهاوی]]
[[fr:Désert des Mojaves]]
[[id:Gurun Mojave]]
[[it:Deserto del Mojave]]
[[lt:Mohavės dykuma]]
[[nl:Mojavewoestijn]]
[[ja:モハーヴェ砂漠]]
[[pl:Mojave]]
[[pt:Deserto de Mojave]]
[[ru:Мохаве (пустыня)]]
[[fi:Mojaven aavikko]]
[[sv:Mojaveöknen]]
[[uk:Мохаве (пустеля)]]
[[zh:莫哈韦沙漠]]