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38-531: The range is part of a three-range sequence of mildly arc-shaped ranges , and two intermountain range valleys in the Maria fold and thrust belt , a region in western-central Arizona and southeast Southern California , with the Colorado River flowing south through the western part of the belt. The fold-and-thrust-belt region contains numerous plains, valleys, and mountain ranges, about 30 landforms in all. The range

76-570: A more regular bi-seasonal pattern. According to the Köppen climate classification system, the majority of the Sonoran Desert has a hot desert climate ( BWh ). Hot semi-arid climate ( BSh ) exists on some of the higher elevation mountains within the desert, as well as in a continuous swath on the eastern and northeastern fringes as elevations gradually rise toward the Madrean Sky Islands in

114-467: A population close to 900,000. Ciudad Obregón, Sonora , in the southern part of the desert, has a population of 375,800. The Coachella Valley , located in the Colorado Desert section of the Sonoran Desert, has a population of 365,000. Several famous Southern California desert resort cities such as Palm Springs and Palm Desert are located here. During the winter months, from November to April,

152-641: A total population of over 180,000 and has a similar climate to that of the Coachella Valley. Other cities include Borrego Springs , Indio , Coachella , Calexico , El Centro , Imperial , and Blythe . Straddling the Mexico–United States border , the Sonoran desert is an important migration corridor for humans and animals. The harsh climate conditions and border militarism mean that the journey can be perilous, usually moving at night to minimize exposure to

190-493: Is a narrow range about 25 mi long, and 5 mi wide, and trends southwest to northeast. The McMullen Valley is the southeast border of the range, and is traversed by U.S. Route 60 . Four peaks are found in the range; the highest peak is Smith Peak (Arizona) , 5,242 feet (1,598 m) in the northeast, but not easily accessible by road. In the southwest, is Harcuvar Peak, at 4,618 feet (1,408 m), accessible by unimproved road, via Cottonwood Pass. Two other peaks lie in

228-759: Is bounded on the west by the Peninsular Ranges , which separate it from the California chaparral and woodlands (northwest) and Baja California desert (Vizcaíno subregion, central and southeast) ecoregions of the Pacific slope. The Gulf of California xeric scrub ecoregion lies south of the Sonoran desert on the Gulf of California slope of the Baja California Peninsula. To the north in California and northwest Arizona,

266-521: Is home to the cultures of over 17 contemporary Native American tribes, with settlements at American Indian reservations in California and Arizona , as well as populations in Mexico. The largest city in the Sonoran Desert is Phoenix, Arizona , with a 2017 metropolitan population of about 4.7 million. Located on the Salt River in central Arizona, it is one of the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in

304-581: The Kofa National Wildlife Refuge . The Sonoran Desert is home to a wide variety of fauna that have adapted and thrive in the hot, arid desert environment, such as the Gila monster , bobcat , mule deer , antelope jackrabbit , burrowing owl , greater roadrunner , western diamondback rattlesnake , and elf owl . There are 350 bird species, 20 amphibian species, over 100 reptile species, 30 native fish species, and over 1000 native bee species found in

342-679: The Madrean Region of southwestern North America, part of the Holarctic realm of the northern Western Hemisphere . The desert contains a variety of unique endemic plants and animals , notably, the saguaro ( Carnegiea gigantea ) and organ pipe cactus ( Stenocereus thurberi ). The Sonoran Desert is clearly distinct from nearby deserts (e.g., the Great Basin , Mojave , and Chihuahuan deserts ) because it provides subtropical warmth in winter and two seasons of rainfall (in contrast, for example, to

380-672: The Sonoran Desert , south and southeast; in California, the Colorado Desert subsection of the Sonoran Desert lies southwest. 33°56′30″N 113°35′03″W  /  33.9416943°N 113.5840954°W  / 33.9416943; -113.5840954 Maria fold and thrust belt The Maria fold and thrust belt (MFTB) is a portion of the North American Cordillera orogen in which geological structures accommodate roughly north–south to northwest-southeast vergent Mesozoic age crustal shortening . This lies in contrast to

418-604: The subduction of the Farallon slab beneath western North America. At the Maria fold-and-thrust-belt, compressional deformation shifts to being generally north–south, with the front of the mountain ranges being defined by a roughly east–west line. This line then shifts gently to the east-southeast, where the Cordilleran deformation diffuses into a broad shear zone in northeastern Mexico . Another notable feature that differentiates it from

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456-650: The Buckskin Mountains extending into a western section at the confluence of the Colorado and Bill Williams Rivers. Buckskin Mountain State Park is located here. 7. The Bill Williams River downstream from Alamo Lake State Park is the northern border of the three ranges, as well as the de facto border of fold-and-thrust-belt. The river is also a dividing line between the Mojave Desert north and northwest, and

494-754: The Butler Valley's northeast, and the flatlands northeast of the Buckskin Mountains. The entire southeast perimeter of the Harcuvar Mountains borders the McMullen Valley, with U.S. Route 80. The series of communities starting at the southwest are Vicksburg, Hope , and Harcuvar, (also located south of a small range, the Granite Wash Mountains ), then Salome , Wenden , and lastly after a 26 miles (42 km) straight stretch, Aguila . At Aquila roads connect either northeast, or east to U.S. Route 93 ,

532-657: The Mojave's dry summers and cold winters). This creates an extreme contrast between aridity and moisture. The Sonoran desert wraps around the northern end of the Gulf of California , from Baja California Sur ( El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve in central and Pacific west coast, Central Gulf Coast subregion on east to southern tip), north through much of Baja California , excluding the central northwest mountains and Pacific west coast, through southeastern California and southwestern and southern Arizona to western and central parts of Sonora . It

570-809: The Sonoran Desert to the tropical dry forests of the Mexican state of Sinaloa . The desert's sub-regions include the Colorado Desert of southeastern California; and the Yuma Desert east of the north-to-south section of the Colorado River in southwest Arizona. In the 1957 publication Vegetation of the Sonoran Desert , Forrest Shreve divided the Sonoran Desert into seven regions according to characteristic vegetation: Lower Colorado Valley, Arizona Upland, Plains of Sonora, Foothills of Sonora, Central Gulf Coast, Vizcaíno Region, and Magdalena Region. Many ecologists consider Shreve's Vizcaíno and Magdalena regions, which lie on

608-460: The Sonoran Desert transitions to the colder-winter, higher-elevation Mojave , Great Basin , and Colorado Plateau deserts. The coniferous Arizona Mountains forests are to the northeast. The Chihuahuan Desert and Sierra Madre Occidental pine–oak forests are at higher elevations to the east. To the south the Sonoran–Sinaloan transition subtropical dry forest is the transition zone from

646-527: The Sonoran. The Sonoran Desert area southeast of Tucson and near the Mexican border is vital habitat for the only population of jaguars living within the United States. The Colorado River Delta was once an ecological hotspot within the Sonoran desert due to the Colorado river in this otherwise dry area, but the delta has been greatly reduced in extent due to damming and use of the river upstream. Species that have higher heat tolerance are able to thrive in

684-479: The United States. In 2007 in the Phoenix area, desert was losing ground to urban sprawl at a rate of approximately 4,000 square meters (1 acre) per hour. The next largest cities are Tucson , in southern Arizona, with a metro area population of just over 1 million, and Mexicali, Baja California , with a similarly sized metropolitan population of around 1,000,000. The metropolitan area of Hermosillo, Sonora , has

722-630: The biosphere reserve is Puerto Peñasco ('Rocky Point') in the state of Sonora, Mexico . Sonoran Desert sub-regions include: The Sonoran desert has an arid subtropical climate and is considered to be the most tropical desert in North America . In the lower-elevation portions of the desert, temperatures are warm year-round, and rainfall is infrequent and irregular, often less than 90 mm (approx. 3.5") annually. The Arizona uplands are also warm year-round, but they receive 100–300 mm (approx. 4–12") of average annual rainfall, which falls in

760-596: The center of the range; one lies adjacent and north of Cunningham Pass, called ECC Peak, at 3,000 feet (914 m), and further northeast, ECP Peak, at 4,593 feet (1,400 m). In 1990, the Harcuvar Mountains Wilderness became part of the now over 109 million acre National Wilderness Preservation System established by the Wilderness Act of 1964. The Harcuvar Mountains Wilderness is in northeast La Paz County 82 miles northwest of Phoenix, Arizona. One of

798-479: The central and northern perimeter of the Maria fold-and-thrust-belt, approximately paralleling the Rawhide Mountains , a slight northwest range on west end.) 33°53′54″N 114°35′32″W  /  33.8984°N 114.5923°W  / 33.8984; -114.5923 Sonoran Desert The Sonoran Desert ( Spanish : Desierto de Sonora ) is a hot desert and ecoregion in North America that covers

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836-421: The conditions of the Sonoran Desert. One such insect species that has evolved a means to thrive in this environment is Drosophila mettleri , a Sonoran Desert fly. This fly contains a specialized P450 detoxification system that enables it to nest in the cool region of exudate moistened soil. Thus, the fly is one of few that can tolerate the high desert temperatures and successfully reproduce. The Sonoran Desert

874-441: The daytime temperatures in the Coachella Valley range from 70 °F (21 °C) to 90 °F (32 °C) and corresponding nighttime lows range from 46 °F (8 °C) to 68 °F (20 °C) making it a popular winter resort destination. Due to its warm year-round climate citrus and subtropical fruits such as mangoes, figs, and dates are grown in the Coachella Valley and adjacent Imperial Valley . The Imperial Valley has

912-509: The desert subdivisions found on Baja California, cardon cactus, elephant tree, and boojum tree occur. The California fan palm ( Washingtonia filifera ) is found in the Colorado Desert section of the Sonoran Desert, the only native palm in California, among many other introduced Arecaceae genera and species. It is found at spring -fed oases , such as in Anza Borrego Desert State Park , Joshua Tree National Park , and

950-538: The east and the Mogollon Rim in the northeast. There are also a few small areas of cold semi-arid climate ( BSk ) and even hot-summer Mediterranean climate ("Csa") on only the highest mountain peaks within the region. Many plants not only survive, but thrive in the harsh conditions of the Sonoran Desert. Many have evolved specialized adaptations to the desert climate. The Sonoran Desert's bi-seasonal rainfall pattern results in more plant species than any other desert in

988-575: The extension resulted in the emplacement of metamorphic core complexes , the 'type example' of which is defined by the Whipple Mountains in southeastern California. The Maria fold-and-thrust-belt is defined as the region where the compression that helped create the North American Cordillera – abruptly changed directions. North of the Maria fold-and-thrust-belt, the mountain ranges trend north–south, with east–west compression due to

1026-519: The more important aspects of the Harcuvar Mountains is the major, and southern access route to Alamo Lake State Park approximately 30 miles (48 km) upriver on the Bill Williams River . The access road is the southern access to the lake, about 30 miles of unimproved road. It begins at Wenden, Arizona , and immediately climbs through the Harcuvars to Cunningham Pass . Another 24 miles traverses

1064-904: The northeast of the Harquahala's; 3. Southeast of the Harquahalas, three mountain ranges, and the Hassayampa and Harquahala Plains-( Harquahala Valley ); 4. The southwest and west perimeter of the three ranges is the Bouse Wash Drainage ; the drainage is in the Ranegras Plain, but two small ranges, and the Bouse Hills abut the perimeter as well; 5. The northwest abuts the Cactus Plain and the Cactus Plain Wilderness ; 6. The northwest also has

1102-517: The northwestern Mexican states of Sonora , Baja California , and Baja California Sur , as well as part of the Southwestern United States (in Arizona and California ). It is the hottest desert in both Mexico and the United States. It has an area of 260,000 square kilometers (100,000 sq mi). In phytogeography , the Sonoran Desert is within the Sonoran floristic province of

1140-578: The remainder of the Cordillera, in which shortening is predominantly east–west. Structures associated with the Maria Fold and Thrust Belt are exposed in a series of mountain ranges in southeastern California and western Arizona . Many of the deep structures of the MFTB have been exposed due to east–west to northeast-southwest Cenozoic age extension and unroofing. In some parts of this fold-and-thrust-belt region,

1178-489: The rest of the Cordillera is that the deformation involves the rocks of the North American craton . Deformation in the remainder of the Cordillera only involves rocks that were part of the near-shore and offshore, sedimentary sequences. Since soils and climate differ across the Maria fold-and-thrust-belt, this regional geologic structure can be considered a "dividing line" for a number of flora and fauna species. For example,

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1216-505: The road to Kingman – Phoenix The major mountain ranges that run southeast to northwest in the Maria fold and thrust belt region are, from north to south: Some of the thirty landforms in the fold-and-thrust-belt listed in a circular path around these three ranges are: 1. NE, Alamo Lake State Park , NE Buckskin Mtns; 2. Access roads from U.S. Route 93 , northwest, dirt, and southwest, Arizona State Route 71 terminating at Aguila, Arizona , at

1254-401: The species and seasonal temperatures. Creosote bush ( Larrea tridentata ) and bur sage ( Ambrosia dumosa ) dominate valley floors. Indigo bush ( Psorothamnus fremontii ) and Mormon tea are other shrubs that may be found. Wildflowers of the Sonoran Desert include desert sand verbena ( Abronia villosa ), desert sunflower ( Geraea canescens ), and evening primroses . Ascending from

1292-490: The species range of the endangered California Fan Palm , Washingtonia filifera does not extend north of the Maria fold-and-thrust-belt, or more specifically the Turtle Mountains . The Maria fold-and-thrust-belt comprises a large number of ranges in the south-eastern Mojave and north-western Sonoran deserts, including the: List of some regional landforms. (The ~east-west Bill Williams River appears as part of

1330-457: The valley up bajadas , various subtrees such as velvet mesquite ( Prosopis velutina ), palo verde ( Parkinsonia florida ), desert ironwood ( Olneya tesota ), desert willow ( Chilopsis linearis ssp. arcuata ), and crucifixion thorn ( Canotia holacantha ) are common, as well as multi-stemmed ocotillo ( Fouquieria splendens ). Shrubs found at higher elevations include whitethorn acacia ( Acacia constricta ), fairy duster, and jojoba . In

1368-751: The western side of the Baja California Peninsula , to be a separate ecoregion , the Baja California desert . Within the southern Sonoran Desert in Mexico is found the Gran Desierto de Altar , with the El Pinacate y Gran Desierto de Altar Biosphere Reserve , encompassing 2,000 square kilometres (770 sq mi) of desert and mountainous regions. The biosphere reserve includes the only active erg dune region in North America. The nearest city to

1406-492: The wild. Cholla ( Cylindropuntia spp.), beavertail ( Opuntia basilaris ), hedgehog ( Echinocereus spp.), fishhook ( Ferocactus wislizeni ), prickly pear ( Opuntia spp.), nightblooming cereus ( Peniocereus spp.), and organ pipe ( Stenocereus thurberi ) are other taxa of cacti found here. Cacti provide food and homes to many desert mammals and birds, with showy flowers in reds, pinks, yellows, and whites, blooming most commonly from late March through June, depending on

1444-453: The world. The Sonoran Desert includes plant genera and species from the agave family, palm family, cactus family, legume family, and numerous others. Many of these adaptations occur in food crops. Mission Garden is a living agricultural museum that showcases foods that have been grown in the Sonoran Desert for over 4000 years. The Sonoran is the only place in the world where the famous saguaro cactus ( Carnegiea gigantea ) grows in

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