Granite Mountains (California)
| Granite Mountains | |
|---|---|
 Late afternoon view from Kelbaker Road | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 1,238 m (4,062 ft) |
| Geography | |
  Granite Mountains Location of Granite Mountains in California[1] | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| Region | Mojave Desert |
| District | San Bernardino County |
| Range coordinates | 34°47′42.2″N 115°41′32.1″W / 34.795056°N 115.692250°W |
| Topo map | USGS Leach Lake |
The Granite Mountains is a small mountain range in eastern San Bernardino County, California, USA, in the Mojave Desert. The range stretches 10.7 mi (17.2 km) from Granite Pass (34°48′28.46″N 115°36′12.72″W / 34.8079056°N 115.6035333°W) to Budweiser Wash (34°49′49.49″N 115°45′33.90″W / 34.8304139°N 115.7594167°W). The highest peaks of this mountain range are an unnamed peak, which is 6,738 ft (2,054 m) in elevation, and Granite Peak, which is 6,766 ft (2,062 m) in elevation.[2][3]
The Granite Mountains lie north of Interstate 40 and historic Route 66. The Providence Mountains are adjacent to the northeast. The Bristol Mountains are directly to the west, the Old Woman Mountains are to the southeast, and Pisgah Crater and the Bullion Mountains are to the southwest. The Mountains lie east of the small community of Kelso, northeast of Ludlow, and north of Amboy. This mountain range lies within the Mojave National Preserve, in the National Park Service system.[2][3]
Sweeney Granite Mountains Desert Research Center
[edit]The University of California, Riverside, operates the Sweeney Granite Mountains Desert Research Center within the Mojave National Preserve. It is a research and teaching center that was established by the late Professor Dr. Kenneth Norris] of U.C. Santa Cruz in 1978 and is now managed out of UC Riverside. Students and faculty have completed extensive studies of the natural history of the Granite Mountains since the research center's inception.
Geology
[edit]Some of the more striking rock formations in the Mojave National Preserve lie in the Granite Mountains. These granitic rocks have eroded into unusual rounded shapes that include spires, perched boulders, and curved cliff faces.
Granitic rocks represent the roots of ancient continental-margin volcanic systems. Most of the granitic rock in the Mojave Desert is late Mesozoic in age (80 to 180 million years old). The granites formed at depth within a volcanically active mountain range comparable in geologic setting to the Andes chain in South America.
The granitoids formed by the slow cooling and solidification of molten magma bodies that developed above sinking slabs of oceanic crust overridden by the edge of the continent. At least 55 or 60 million years elapsed between the crystallization of the last Mesozoic magma bodies and deposition of the youngest-preserved overlying strata.
Several springs exist in the Granite Mountains, though they may not flow year round.
See also
[edit]- Camp Granite World War 2 training camp
- Granite Mountains (northern San Bernardino County, California)
- Granite Mountains (western San Bernardino County, California)
References
[edit]- ^ "Granite Mountains". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2009-05-03.
- ^ a b United States Geological Survey, 1956, Flynn Quadrangle California-San Bernardino CO. 15 Minute Series (Topographic), scale 1:62500 scale
- ^ a b United States Geological Survey, 1957, Kerens Quadrangle California-San Bernardino CO. 15 Minute Series (Topographic), scale 1:62500 scale
- America's Volcanic Past - Mojave National Preserve (USGS PD source)
External links
[edit]
Media related to Granite Mountains (California) at Wikimedia Commons
