Little Harquahala Mountains
Encyclopedia
The Little Harquahala Mountains are a small, arid, low elevation mountain range of western-central Arizona
, in the southeast of La Paz County
.
The range is northwest-by-southeast trending and is in a region of about thirty landforms, plains, valleys, and mountain ranges, called the Maria fold and thrust belt
. The region is in the Basin and Range
and three mountain ranges are in a parallel, northwest-by-southeast trending thrust
belt, with two intervening valleys. The Little Harquahala Range borders the second valley and third mountain range, the McMullen Valley and Harquahala Mountains
on the their southwest borders.
The range is a section of a water divide
, for tributaries to two river watersheds on the Gila
and Colorado River
s. An even smaller range is connected north on the water divide, the 8-mile (13 km) long Granite Wash Mountains
.
Granite Wash Pass is located at the northwest end of the mountains; Hope
is west and Harcuvar, Arizona is east. The pass contains a rail trasportation line, as well as U.S. Route 60 in Arizona
form Brenda
at Interstate 10 in Arizona
, and the route northeast to Aguila
, then to Wickenburg
, on U.S. 93
.
between two wash
es. The Bouse Wash
flows northwest to the Colorado River
; Centennial Wash (Maricopa County) is east and flows southeast to meet the Gila River
at the great Gila Bend, adjacent the Gila Bend Mountains
.
Arizona
Arizona ; 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...
, in the southeast of La Paz County
La Paz County, Arizona
La Paz County is a county in the western part of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2010 census its population was 20,489. The county seat is Parker...
.
The range is northwest-by-southeast trending and is in a region of about thirty landforms, plains, valleys, and mountain ranges, called the Maria fold and thrust belt
Maria Fold and Thrust Belt
The Maria fold and thrust belt 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 the remainder of the Cordillera, in which shortening is...
. The region is in the Basin and Range
Basin and Range
The Basin and Range Province is a vast physiographic region defined by a unique topographic expression. Basin and Range topography is characterized by abrupt changes in elevation, alternating between narrow faulted mountain chains and flat arid valleys or basins...
and three mountain ranges are in a parallel, northwest-by-southeast trending thrust
Thrust fault
A thrust fault is a type of fault, or break in the Earth's crust across which there has been relative movement, in which rocks of lower stratigraphic position are pushed up and over higher strata. They are often recognized because they place older rocks above younger...
belt, with two intervening valleys. The Little Harquahala Range borders the second valley and third mountain range, the McMullen Valley and Harquahala Mountains
Harquahala Mountains
The Harquahala Mountains are the highest mountain range in southwestern Arizona, USA and are located southwest of the towns of Aguila and Wenden. The name originated from a local Native American people "Aha qua hala" which meant "water there is high up". The range is oriented from northeast to...
on the their southwest borders.
The range is a section of a water divide
Water divide
A drainage divide, water divide, divide or watershed is the line separating neighbouring drainage basins...
, for tributaries to two river watersheds on the Gila
Gila River
The Gila River is a tributary of the Colorado River, 650 miles long, in the southwestern states of New Mexico and Arizona.-Description:...
and Colorado River
Colorado River
The Colorado River , is a river in the Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, approximately long, draining a part of the arid regions on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. The watershed of the Colorado River covers in parts of seven U.S. states and two Mexican states...
s. An even smaller range is connected north on the water divide, the 8-mile (13 km) long Granite Wash Mountains
Granite Wash Mountains
The Granite Wash Mountains are a short, arid, low elevation mountain range of western-central Arizona, in the southeast of La Paz County. The range borders a slightly larger range southeast, the Little Harquahala Mountains; both ranges form a section on the same water divide between two desert washes...
.
Maria fold and thrust belt
The three mountain ranges and two valleys bordered to the northeast:- Buckskin MountainsBuckskin MountainsThe Buckskin Mountains are a mountain range in western-central Arizona, USA. The range lies just east of the north-south Colorado River, and borders south of the east-west, west-flowing Bill Williams River....
- Butler Valley (Arizona)Butler Valley (Arizona)Butler Valley is a valley of the Maria fold and thrust belt in western Arizona, USA. It lies east of the Colorado River, and is south of the west-flowing Bill Williams River.-Description of valley and region:...
- Butler Valley (Arizona)
- Harcuvar MountainsHarcuvar MountainsThe Harcuvar Mountains are a narrow mountain range in western-central Arizona, USA. The range lies just east of the north-south Colorado River, and south of the east-west, west-flowing Bill Williams River, from Alamo Lake....
- McMullen Valley
- Harquahala MountainsHarquahala MountainsThe Harquahala Mountains are the highest mountain range in southwestern Arizona, USA and are located southwest of the towns of Aguila and Wenden. The name originated from a local Native American people "Aha qua hala" which meant "water there is high up". The range is oriented from northeast to...
Peaks, and landforms
The highest elevation in the mountains is Martin Peak at 2333 feet (711 m), in the southeast. Harquar Peak at 2100 feet (640 m) is located to the central-north.Granite Wash Pass is located at the northwest end of the mountains; Hope
Hope, Arizona
Hope is a small unincorporated community in the deserts of La Paz County, Arizona, United States. Its name was inspired by the community's hope for increased business after merchants visited the town. Today, it consists of one RV park, one gas station, one church, and one antique store....
is west and Harcuvar, Arizona is east. The pass contains a rail trasportation line, as well as U.S. Route 60 in Arizona
U.S. Route 60 in Arizona
U.S. Route 60 is an east–west United States highway within Arizona. The highway runs for from a junction with Interstate 10 near Quartzsite to the New Mexico State Line near Springerville...
form Brenda
Brenda, Arizona
Brenda, Arizona is a small community in southwestern Arizona. It is located approximately 13 miles east of Quartzsite, , and 4 miles northeast on US 60 in Arizona....
at Interstate 10 in Arizona
Interstate 10 in Arizona
In the U.S. state of Arizona, Interstate 10, the major east–west Interstate Highway in the southern United States, runs east from California, enters Arizona and continues through Phoenix and Tucson and exits at the border with New Mexico.-Route description:...
, and the route northeast to Aguila
Aguila, Arizona
Aguila is a CDP in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. It is located on U.S. Route 60 approximately 20 miles west of Wickenburg, or at approximately 50000 N. 510th Ave. Major economic activities include cantaloupe farming and formerly included mining. It uses the same street numbering system...
, then to Wickenburg
Wickenburg, Arizona
Wickenburg is a town in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the town is 6,423.-Geography:Wickenburg is located at ....
, on U.S. 93
U.S. Route 93 in Arizona
In the U.S. state of Arizona, U.S. Route 93 is a U.S. Highway that begins in Wickenburg and heads north to the Nevada border at the Mike O'Callaghan – Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge....
.
Bouse Wash, Centennial Wash
The Little Harquahala Mountains are on the northwest by southeast water divideWater divide
A drainage divide, water divide, divide or watershed is the line separating neighbouring drainage basins...
between two wash
Arroyo (creek)
An arroyo , a Spanish word translated as brook, and also called a wash is usually a dry creek or stream bed—gulch that temporarily or seasonally fills and flows after sufficient rain. Wadi is a similar term in Africa. In Spain, a rambla has a similar meaning to arroyo.-Types and processes:Arroyos...
es. The Bouse Wash
Bouse Wash
Bouse Wash is one of the larger eastern-bank dry washes that enter the Colorado River in western Arizona.Bouse Wash is located on the north end of the La Posa Plain and drains into the area along the Colorado River occupied by the Colorado River Indian Reservation, south of Parker, Arizona...
flows northwest to the Colorado River
Colorado River
The Colorado River , is a river in the Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, approximately long, draining a part of the arid regions on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. The watershed of the Colorado River covers in parts of seven U.S. states and two Mexican states...
; Centennial Wash (Maricopa County) is east and flows southeast to meet the Gila River
Gila River
The Gila River is a tributary of the Colorado River, 650 miles long, in the southwestern states of New Mexico and Arizona.-Description:...
at the great Gila Bend, adjacent the Gila Bend Mountains
Gila Bend Mountains
The Gila Bend Mountains are a 35-mile long mountain range of the north-central Sonoran Desert southwest of Phoenix, Arizona and in southwest Maricopa County....
.
External links
- http://ag.arizona.edu/herbarium/db/get_one_specimen.php?id=75924Opuntia basilaris, Beavertail cactus, University of ArizonaUniversity of ArizonaThe University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
Herbarium, Little Harquahala Mountains, (coordinates)] - Little Harquahala Mountains, mountainzone
- regional trails, trails.com