Cienega
Encyclopedia
A cienega or cienaga (in modern Spanish ciénaga) is a Spanish Colonial term for a spring
, that is in use in English in the southwestern United States
. A cienega usually is a wet, marshy area at the foot of a mountain, in a canyon
, or on the edge of a grassland where groundwater
bubbles to the surface. Often, a cienega does not drain into a stream, but evaporates, forming a small playa
.
Many lands have artificial cienegas, such as the Springs Preserve in Las Vegas, Nevada, in order for people to experience them.
s, including many unusual, rare, and endangered species of plants and animals. Notable among these is the monotypic genus Anemopsis, widely known in the southwestern United States as Yerba mansa.
Spring (hydrosphere)
A spring—also known as a rising or resurgence—is a component of the hydrosphere. Specifically, it is any natural situation where water flows to the surface of the earth from underground...
, that is in use in English in the southwestern United States
Southwestern United States
The Southwestern United States is a region defined in different ways by different sources. Broad definitions include nearly a quarter of the United States, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah...
. A cienega usually is a wet, marshy area at the foot of a mountain, in a canyon
Canyon
A canyon or gorge is a deep ravine between cliffs often carved from the landscape by a river. Rivers have a natural tendency to reach a baseline elevation, which is the same elevation as the body of water it will eventually drain into. This forms a canyon. Most canyons were formed by a process of...
, or on the edge of a grassland where groundwater
Groundwater
Groundwater is water located beneath the ground surface in soil pore spaces and in the fractures of rock formations. A unit of rock or an unconsolidated deposit is called an aquifer when it can yield a usable quantity of water. The depth at which soil pore spaces or fractures and voids in rock...
bubbles to the surface. Often, a cienega does not drain into a stream, but evaporates, forming a small playa
Sink (geography)
A geographic sink is a depression within an endorheic basin where water collects with no visible outlet. Instead of discharging, the collected water is lost due to evaporation and/or penetration...
.
Many lands have artificial cienegas, such as the Springs Preserve in Las Vegas, Nevada, in order for people to experience them.
Ecology
Because evaporation usually causes the water to be alkaline, vegetation around a cienega commonly includes halophyteHalophyte
A halophyte is a plant that grows where it is affected by salinity in the root area or by salt spray, such as in saline semi-deserts, mangrove swamps, marshes and sloughs, and seashores. An example of a halophyte is the salt marsh grass Spartina alterniflora . Relatively few plant species are...
s, including many unusual, rare, and endangered species of plants and animals. Notable among these is the monotypic genus Anemopsis, widely known in the southwestern United States as Yerba mansa.
Notable cienegas
- La Cienega, New MexicoLa Cienega, New MexicoLa Cienega is a census-designated place in Santa Fe County, New Mexico, United States. It is part of the Santa Fe, New Mexico Metropolitan Statistical Area...
- St David Cienega, ArizonaArizonaArizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
- Mesa Community College Red Mountain Campus MesaMesaA mesa or table mountain is an elevated area of land with a flat top and sides that are usually steep cliffs. It takes its name from its characteristic table-top shape....
, ArizonaArizonaArizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix... - Las Vegas Springs PreserveLas Vegas Springs PreserveLas Vegas Springs Preserve consists of dedicated to nature walks and displays and is owned and operated by the Las Vegas Valley Water District. The Preserve is located approximately three miles west of downtown Las Vegas, Nevada...
, Nevada - Cuatrociénegas, Coahuila, México.
- Ciénaga, MagdalenaCiénaga, MagdalenaCiénaga is a municipality and a town in the Magdalena Department, Colombia, second largest population center in this department, after the city of Santa Marta. It is situated at 11° 00' North, 74° 15' West, between the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, the Caribbean Sea and the Ciénaga Grande de Santa...
, ColombiaColombiaColombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the... - San Solomon SpringsSan Solomon SpringsSan Solomon Springs is a collection of artesian springs located near the small towns of Toyahvale and Balmorhea in Reeves County, Texas. Between 20 million and 28 million US gallons of water a day flow from the springs, supplying water for a 1.75-acre swimming hole before flowing through a...
, TexasTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
See also
- La Cienega (disambiguation)
- Salt panDry lakeDry lakes are ephemeral lakebeds, or a remnant of an endorheic lake. Such flats consist of fine-grained sediments infused with alkali salts. Dry lakes are also referred to as alkali flats, sabkhas, playas or mud flats...
- Salt flat
- OasisOasisIn geography, an oasis or cienega is an isolated area of vegetation in a desert, typically surrounding a spring or similar water source...
- Grass valleyGrass valleyA grass valley is a meadow located within a forested and relatively small drainage basin such as a headwater. Grass valleys are common in North America, where they are created and maintained principally by the work of beavers. Rarely, they are associated with cienegas.The words vega and valle...