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30-597: The range lies in the northwest Chihuahuan Desert and the extreme northwest end of the range lies in southeast Grant County . It is here that the Continental Divide of the Americas crosses the range, turns northwest, then west, and south at the north perimeter of the north–south Playas Valley . The continental divide continues south into Mexico on the western perimeter of the Playas Valley, through three mountain ranges,

60-516: A horse"; most likely these were big alkali sacaton ( Sporobolus wrightii ) and tobosa ( Pleuraphis mutica ) along floodplain or bottomland areas. The United Nations Environment Programme reported in 2006 that nearly half of the bird, mammal, and butterfly species in the Chihuahuan Desert are expected to be replaced by other species by 2055 due to climate change. A 2017 assessment found that 35,905 km (13,863 sq mi), or 7%, of

90-755: A portion of southeastern Arizona , as well as the central and northern portions of the Mexican Plateau . It is bordered on the west by the Sonoran Desert , the Colorado Plateau , and the extensive Sierra Madre Occidental range, along with northwestern lowlands of the Sierra Madre Oriental range. Its largest, continual expanse is located in Mexico, covering a large portion of the state of Chihuahua , along with portions of Coahuila , north-eastern Durango ,

120-756: A portion of winter precipitation as snowfall most winters. The creosote bush ( Larrea tridentata ) is the dominant plant species on gravelly and occasional sandy soils in valley areas within the Chihuahuan Desert. The other species found with creosote bush depend on factors including the soil type, elevation, and degree of slope. Viscid acacia ( Vachellia vernicosa ), and tarbush ( Flourensia cernua ) dominate northern portions, while broom dalea ( Psorothamnus scoparius ) occurs on sandy soils in western portions. Yucca and Opuntia species are abundant on slopes and uplands in most areas, while Arizona rainbow cactus ( Echinocereus polyacanthus ) and Mexican fire-barrel cactus ( Ferocactus pilosus ) inhabit portions near

150-527: Is a mountain range in northeastern Mexico . The Sierra Madre Oriental is part of the American Cordillera , a chain of mountain ranges (cordillera) that consists of an almost continuous sequence of mountain ranges that form the western "backbone" of North America , Central America , South America , and Antarctica . Spanning 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) the Sierra Madre Oriental runs from

180-462: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Chihuahuan Desert The Chihuahuan Desert ( Spanish : Desierto de Chihuahua , Desierto Chihuahuense ) is a desert ecoregion designation covering parts of northern Mexico and the southwestern United States . It occupies much of far West Texas , the middle to lower Rio Grande Valley and the lower Pecos Valley in New Mexico , and

210-483: Is characterized by woody shrubs, small trees, cacti , and succulents . Montane chaparral is found above 1,700 m (5,600 ft) and is home to species in the genera Quercus , Arbutus , Yucca , Cercocarpus and Bauhinia . Piedmont scrub occurs below 2,000 m (6,600 ft) and is composed of plants 3 to 5 m (9.8 to 16.4 ft) in height such as Helietta parvifolia , Neopringlea integrifolia and Acacia spp. The canopy of moist forests

240-508: Is dominated by trees up to 30 m (98 ft) in height, including Brosimum alicastrum , Manilkara zapota , Celtis monoica , Bursera simaruba , Dendropanax arboreus , and Sideroxylon capiri . Birds of the forest include the Mexican chickadee , Montezuma quail , Strickland's woodpecker , zone-tailed hawk and several species of jay . Pine-oak forests in Coahuila are part of

270-772: The Franklin Mountains , the Sacramento Mountains , the Chisos Mountains , the Guadalupe Mountains , and the Davis Mountains . These create " sky islands " of cooler, wetter, climates adjacent to, or within the desert, and such elevated areas have both coniferous and broadleaf woodlands, including forests along drainages and favored exposures. The lower elevations of the Sandia–Manzano Mountains ,

300-512: The Pyramid , Animas , and San Luis Mountains (New Mexico) . The Cedar Mountain Range is a northwest by southeast trending range, and longer, than wide. The northwest end contains Deer Mountain, 5,494 feet (1,675 m), with an excursion of the continental divide around the wash that drains the northeast. The water divide continues through Deer Mountain and heads northwest on a circuitous route around

330-625: The Rio Grande on the border between Coahuila and Texas south through Nuevo León , southwest Tamaulipas , San Luis Potosí , Querétaro , and Hidalgo to northern Puebla , where it joins with the east-west running Eje Volcánico Transversal of central Mexico. The northernmost are the Sierra del Burro and the Sierra del Carmen which reach the border with the United States at the Rio Grande. North of

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360-431: The Sonoran Desert to the west, mostly varying from 480 to 1,800 m (1,575 to 5,906 ft) in elevation, the desert has a slightly milder climate in the summer (though usually daytime June temperatures are in the range of 32 to 40 °C or 90 to 104 °F), with mild to cool winters and occasional to frequent freezes. The hottest temperatures in the desert occur in lower elevation areas and valleys, including near

390-468: The Chihuahuan Desert is 235 mm (9.3 in) with a range of approximately 150–400 mm (6–16 in), although it receives more precipitation than most other warm desert ecoregions. Nearly two-thirds of the arid zone stations have annual totals between 225 and 275 mm (8.9 and 10.8 in). Snowfall is scant except at the higher elevation edges. Northern and eastern portions have more definite winters than southern and western portions, receiving

420-692: The Magdalena–San Mateo Mountains, and the Gila Region partly border the Chihuahuan Desert and partly border other ecoregions that are not deserts. There are few urban areas within the desert: the largest is Ciudad Juárez with almost two million inhabitants; Chihuahua , Saltillo , and Torreón ; and the US cities of El Paso and Albuquerque . Alamogordo , Alpine , Benson , Carlsbad , Carrizozo , Deming , Fort Stockton , Fort Sumner , Las Cruces , Marfa , Pecos , Roswell , and Willcox are among

450-723: The Rio Grande from south of El Paso into the Big Bend, and the Bolson de Mapimi. A subtropical temperature regime describes lower elevations in the Texas Big Bend region up to the Presidio and Candelaria areas, then southward into similar elevations, while a warm temperate temperature regime describes higher elevations and further north. The average annual temperature in the desert varies from about 13 to 22 °C (55 to 72 °F), depending on elevation and latitude. The mean annual precipitation for

480-570: The Rio Grande, the range continues northwestward into Texas and beyond as the Davis and Guadalupe Ranges. Mexico's Gulf Coastal Plain lies to the east of the range, between the mountains and the Gulf of Mexico coast. The Mexican Plateau , which averages 1,100 metres (3,600 ft) in elevation, lies between the Sierra Madre Oriental and the Sierra Madre Occidental further west. The climate of

510-490: The Sierra Madre Oriental is drier than the rainforest areas further south. The Serranias del Burro in the northern range is much drier, semi-arid to arid, yet annually orographically induces and/or intensifies notably vigorous thunderstorm activity in April and May. This small region consistently is a particularly active area for supercells with significantly severe hail and tornadoes , which first form over to just leeward of

540-553: The US–Mexico border. Herbaceous plants , such as bush muhly ( Muhlenbergia porteri ), blue grama ( Bouteloua gracilis ), gypsum grama ( B. breviseta ), and hairy grama ( B. hirsuta ), are dominant in desert grasslands and near the mountain edges including the Sierra Madre Occidental. Lechuguilla ( Agave lechuguilla ), honey mesquite ( Prosopis glandulosa ), Opuntia macrocentra and Echinocereus pectinatus are

570-586: The dominant species in western Coahuila . Ocotillo ( Fouquieria splendens ), lechuguilla, and Yucca filifera are the most common species in the southeastern part of the desert. Candelilla ( Euphorbia antisyphilitica ), Mimosa zygophylla , Acacia glandulifera and lechuguilla are found in areas with well-draining, shallow soils. The shrubs found near the Sierra Madre Oriental are exclusively lechuguilla, guapilla ( Hechtia glomerata ), Queen Victoria's agave ( Agave victoriae-reginae ), sotol ( Dasylirion spp.), and barreta ( Helietta parvifolia ), while

600-557: The dry north to the wetter south. The Sierra Madre Oriental pine-oak forests are found at high elevations in the range (1,000–3,500 m or 3,300–11,500 ft above sea level). To the east, the Tamaulipan matorral occupies the range's lower slopes in Nuevo León and northern Tamaulipas, while the Veracruz moist forests cover the lower slopes of the central range, and the eastern slopes at

630-1432: The ecoregion is in protected areas. Protected areas include Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge in Arizona; Janos Biosphere Reserve , Médanos de Samalayuca Natural Protected Area and Cañón de Santa Elena Flora and Fauna Protection Area in Chihuahua; Cuatro Ciénegas Basin , Ocampo Flora and Fauna Protection Area , and part of Maderas del Carmen Biosphere Reserve in Coahuila; Mapimí Biosphere Reserve and Cañón de Fernández State Park in Durango; Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge , Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge , Carlsbad Caverns National Park , Carrizozo Malpais , Oliver Lee Memorial State Park , Organ Mountains–Desert Peaks National Monument , Petroglyph National Monument , Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge , and White Sands National Park in New Mexico; and Big Bend National Park , Big Bend Ranch State Park , Black Gap Wildlife Management Area, Franklin Mountains State Park , and part of Guadalupe Mountains National Park in Texas. Sierra Madre Oriental The Sierra Madre Oriental ( Spanish: [ˈsjera ˈmaðɾe oɾjenˈtal] )

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660-575: The extreme northern part of Zacatecas , and small western portions of Nuevo León . With an area of about 501,896 km (193,783 sq mi), it is the largest hot desert in North America . The desert is fairly young, existing for only 8000 years. There are several larger mountain ranges in the Chihuahuan Desert, including the Sierra Madre , the Sierra del Carmen , the Organ Mountains ,

690-814: The forested mountain regions as it goes southwest from Silver City. It passes from the southern Little Burro Mountains , crosses the Big Burro 's, then on a circuitous route after skirting the northeast of the Cedar Mountain Range , it passes across the water divide of the north Playas Valley , west of Hachita . It finally enters a series of north–south ranges, including the Animas Mountains , and travels south into northwest Chihuahua , Mexico. Range Highpoint New Mexico highpoints Cedar Mountain Range This New Mexico state location article

720-633: The late summer and smaller amounts of precipitation in early winter, the mean daily temperature of the coldest month warmer than 0 °C (32 °F). The majority of rain falls between late June and early October during the North American Monsoon when moist air from the Gulf of Mexico and the Sea of Cortez penetrates into the region, or much less frequently, when a tropical cyclone moves inland and stalls. Owing to its inland position and higher elevation than

750-476: The mountains then move eastward, sometimes hundreds of kilometres (miles) past the Rio Grande River into Texas. Cerro El Potosí , at 3,720 metres (12,200 ft) above sea level (ASL), is the highest point of the Sierra Madre Oriental and the state of Nuevo León This long range of tall mountains is noted for its abundant biodiversity and large number of endemic species of plants and wildlife, from

780-657: The northern perimeter and water divide of the north Playas Valley. Three other larger peaks dot the range: the center contains Hat Top Mountain, 5,586 feet (1,703 m) at north-center. Old Baldy, at 5,473 feet (1,668 m) is adjacent and southeast. The highest peak is at the extreme southeast end of the Cedar Mountain Range, Flying W Mountain, 6,217 feet (1,895 m), and located at 31°55′19″N 108°05′41″W  /  31.922041°N 108.094759°W  / 31.922041; -108.094759  ( Flying W Mountain ) . The Continental Divide starts to leave

810-685: The other communities in this ecoregion. Safford and Benson in Arizona are located in low elevations of the western edges of the Chihuahuan Desert, but in an ecotone with the Sonoran Desert . According to the World Wide Fund for Nature the Chihuahuan Desert may be the most biologically diverse desert in the world as measured by species richness or endemism. The region has been badly degraded, mainly due to grazing. Many native grasses and other species have become dominated by woody native plants, including creosote bush and mesquite, due to overgrazing and other urbanization. The Mexican wolf , once abundant,

840-861: The southern end of the range are home to the Veracruz montane forests . West of the range, the Mexican Plateau is home to deserts and xeric shrublands , including the Chihuahuan Desert to the north, the Meseta Central matorral on the central part of the plateau, and the Central Mexican matorral on the southern plateau. Much of the wildlife can also be found in the Sierra Madre Occidental , which runs parallel to these mountains along western Mexico. Pine-oak forests are dominated by several species of pine , such as Pinus nelsonii , P. cembroides , P. pseudostrobus , and P. arizonica , and oak, such as Quercus castanea and Q. affinis . Matorral

870-399: The well-developed herbaceous layer includes grasses, legumes , and cacti. Desert or arid grasslands comprise 20% of this desert and are often mosaics of shrubs and grasses. They include purple three-awn ( Aristida purpurea ), black grama ( Bouteloua eriopoda ), and sideoats grama ( Bouteloua curtipendula ). Early Spanish explorers reported encountering grasses that were "belly high to

900-485: Was nearly extinct and remains on the endangered species list. The desert is mainly a rain shadow desert because the two main mountain ranges which bound the desert, the Sierra Madre Occidental to the west and the Sierra Madre Oriental to the east, block most moisture from the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, respectively. Climatically, the desert mostly has an arid, mesothermal climate with one rainy season in

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