- The flora and fauna of the Mojave Desert
- Mojave parks and reserves
- Mojave rivers and lakes
- Desert cities
- Video
In the southwestern United States, in the territory of four states at once, there is the Mojave Desert, located in the southern part of California, in the southwestern region of Utah, southern regions of Nevada and northwestern Arizona. Its area is 35 thousand square kilometers. From the northeast, it is adjacent to the Tehachali mountain range, to the south by the San Gabriel and San Bernandino ridges. The more sultry Sonoran Desert is located to the south, and the Great Basin to the north of the desert. The boundaries of the mountains are marked by two rifts, San Andreas and Garlock.
The temperature in July - August reaches fifty degrees, in winter it is about zero and snow falls. The wind in the eastern part of the desert is an infrequent phenomenon, and in the west the winds reach gusts of over 80 km per hour. Wind turbines have been built on the Tehachali pass that generate electricity.
The flora and fauna of the Mojave Desert
The flora of the Mojave Desert has almost two thousand different plant species, including yucca, fir, oak, astragalus, ferocactus, wormwood, argemona, juniper, pine, jojoba sage and others.
The fauna is represented by coyote, hare, puma, snow goat, dwarf fox, bighorn sheep, bats, etc. Also here live rattlesnakes, iguana, desert gopher turtle, toad-like lizard, scorpions, tarantulas, dwellings.
Mojave parks and reserves
Death Valley - canyons, sand dunes, salt flats, valleys and mountains. The Mojave is home to the Joshua Tree National Park, the Mojave Game Reserve. Joshua Trees Park (yucca) is a favorite place for climbers. Granite rocks reach seventy meters, they are polished by time, as if covered with ice. There are thousands of routes for climbers with different levels of difficulty.
Mojave National Park is known for sand dunes, an unusual form of volcanic formations, but this park is more remarkable for its routes to the city of Kalso. In the area of the city of Baker, not far from the freeway, a record thermometer 40 meters high was installed. Modern highways are laid along the previously operated railway lines.
The railway depot and the city of Calico is one of the largest settlements in the many "ghost towns" located in the desert. Residents worked in silver mines. The humming dunes of Kelso are located near the city and are the largest formations of ash sand.
In the state of Utah, there is Zynon State Park, it is located near the city of Springdale. At the end of the road leading to Zeno Canyon is the Temple of Shinawawa, a coyote deity of the Payut tribe. The canyon has caves and tunnels in red and yellow rock formations. Red Rock Canyon.
The Virginia River flows through the park, which has created high, but not powerful waterfalls on its way. In Zainon Park there is a State Historical Park - the Historical Museum of the Antelope Valley, with artifacts from the life of the indigenous population.
The Grand Canyon was created by the Colorado River, which for millions of years has eroded a road for itself among shale, sandstone and limestone on the plateau of the same name. In the Grand Canyon, several streams merge with the Colorado River, which form many rapids and waterfalls. The most famous are Havasu Falls, Mooney Falls and Beaver Falls. Rafting on the Colorado River is in demand among tourists.
Mojave rivers and lakes
Lake Mead is a national recreation area. In addition to Mead, Lake Mojave also belongs to it. A kind of catchment, created for the Hoover and Davis Dam. Mead is an artificially created reservoir to supply water to Nevada and California.
The Mojave River flows through the Mojave Desert and has a continuous flow only in the upper reaches and some gorges, in the rest of the sections, with a dry bed on the surface, it has an underground flow.
The Colorado River is the only water source in the area for several hundred kilometers.
Desert cities
To the east is Las Vegas, with a population of over half a million. It is the largest entertainment and gambling center in the world. The city has more than 80 casinos, a huge number of gaming pavilions, fashionable hotels, dancing Bellagio fountains, Cirque du Soleil shows and the Blue Man group built in Downtown on Fremont Street and Las Vegas Boulevard.
Palmdale has a population of about 150,000 inhabitants. After the construction of the California Aqueduct, it became a thriving farming town. With the construction of air bases and an aircraft manufacturing plant, it became the aerospace capital of America.
The city of Lancaster has practically merged with Palmdale. It hosts the Arts and Crafts Festival, Antelope Valley National Fairs and the US Rally Championship.
Mojave city - population 18 thousand people. Not far from the city is the aerospace port of the same name, used to launch reusable spacecraft. In the California part of the Mojave Desert, there is a huge aircraft graveyard.
The city of Laughlin is one of the most famous resorts. It has 9 hotels, 2 museums, spa salons. This is mini Las Vegas. Not far from the city is the Vine Canyon with petroglyphs from the 11th-19th centuries.
