|
The Sierra Nevada mountain range of California is a continuous mountainous region that extends unbroken for over 350 miles. It is from 60 to 80 miles wide and transects the state, generally running from the northwest to the southeast. It is characterized by a steep eastern escarpment. The mountains reach heights from 8,000 feet in the north to over 14,000 feet in the southern portion. There are nearly 500 peaks over 12,000 feet and 12 over 14,000 feet, including the highest peak in the lower 48 states. Generally, the western slope of the Sierra is covered with a dense ancient forest, mostly consisting of huge coniferous trees with some mixed deciduous forest, especially at lower elevations. Fifteen major river systems drain the Sierra and the range is dotted with over 1500 lakes, many of which are over 12,000 feet in altitude.
Physically, those are the boundaries of the Sierras, however, biologically, the Sierra Nevada's influence extends into a much greater range. For instance, for thousands of years waters and sediments have drained out of the Sierras. The waters and sediments carried westward out of the Sierras formed the Great Central Valley. Those rivers that flowed eastward largely created the Owens Valley and to some great extent the Mojave desert and it's dry lakes.
The great height of the mountains presents a massive barrier to the prevailing easterly weather patterns, and moisture laden clouds blown in from the Pacific ocean must dump their burden before they are able to pass over the great mountains. Huge amounts of rain fall on the western slope, on average over 70 inches per year in some places, mostly in the form of snow. This profundity of water has nourished the ancient giant forests for thousands of years. As a result the western slope is covered with some of the largest and oldest trees found in all of the world, including the Sugar pine, Red Fir, White Fir, Ponderosa and Jeffrey Pines and the magnificent Giant Sequoia. It is exactly these same waters which eventually find their way to the Central Valley and help create the immense fertility of the regions far below the mountains.
The incredible productivity of the Central Valley is directly due to the Sierras, not just because of the waters, but also as a result of the depth and richness of the
|
|
