Little Maria Mountains
Encyclopedia
The Little Maria Mountains are located in southeastern California
in the United States
. The range lies in a northwest-southeasterly direction east of the Palen Mountains
and west of the Big Maria Mountains
. The mountain range is approximately 15 miles long and is located about 12.6 miles north of Interstate 10, and 12 miles southwest of the abandoned Rice Army Airfield near State Route 62
. The Victor Mine is found at the southeastern end of the range near Midland
.
. The Maria Fold and Thrust Belt underwent generally thick-skinned
(involving basement rocks) North-South trending crustal shortening in the Cretaceous
. The structures of the MFTB are exposed by to later generally East-West
trending large-scale crustal extension in the Miocene
, through what is known to geologists as the Colorado River Extensional Corridor. This North-South shortening is anomalous, as crustal shortening in the rest of the North American Cordillera
is oriented generally East-West because of the generally East-West compression that was due to the subduction of the Farallon plate
under western North America. Also unlike the rest of the North American Cordillera, deformation in the Maria Fold and Thrust Belt involved rocks of the North American Craton, most notably the Grand Canyon sequence
of sedimentary rocks.
.
Within the Palen-McCoy Wilderness are the Little Maria, Granite, Arica
, Palen
, and McCoy Mountains
, which are five distinct mountain ranges separated by broad sloping Alluvial fan
s-baJadas. Because this large area incorporates so many major geological features, the diversity of vegetation and landform
s is exceptional. The desert wash woodland found here provides food and cover for burro deer
, coyote, bobcat
, gray fox, and mountain lion. Desert pavement
, bajadas, interior valleys, canyons, dense ironwood forests, canyons and rugged peaks form a constantly changing landscape pattern.
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The range lies in a northwest-southeasterly direction east of the Palen Mountains
Palen Mountains
The Palen Mountains are located in the southern Mojave Desert - northern Colorado Desert in eastern Riverside County, California, USA. The range lies southeast of the Coxcomb Mountains, and northeast of the Chuckwalla Mountains near Interstate 10....
and west of the Big Maria Mountains
Big Maria Mountains
The Big Maria Mountains are located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of California, near the Colorado River and Arizona. The range lies between Blythe and Vidal, and west of U.S. Route 95 in California. The mountains are home to the Eagle Nest Mine and reach an elevation of 1,030 meters,...
. The mountain range is approximately 15 miles long and is located about 12.6 miles north of Interstate 10, and 12 miles southwest of the abandoned Rice Army Airfield near State Route 62
California State Route 62
State Route 62 is a state highway in the U.S. state of California.-Route description:This route is part of the California Freeway and Expressway System and is eligible for the State Scenic Highway System...
. The Victor Mine is found at the southeastern end of the range near Midland
Midland, California
Midland is a ghost town in Riverside County in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of California. It is adjacent to the Little Maria Mountains and located about twenty-two miles north of Blythe. From 1925 to the 1960s, Midland was a company town owned by the U.S. Gypsum Co. The company had...
.
Geology
The Little Maria Mountains are one of several ranges that constitute the Maria Fold and Thrust BeltMaria 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 Maria Fold and Thrust Belt underwent generally thick-skinned
Thick-skinned deformation
Thick-skinned deformation is a geological term which refers to crustal shortening that involves basement rocks and deep-seated faults. Crustal shortening occurs when the region is undergoing horizontal compression. This occurs in orogenesis, or mountain building, during which the crust is shortened...
(involving basement rocks) North-South trending crustal shortening in the Cretaceous
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous , derived from the Latin "creta" , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide , is a geologic period and system from circa to million years ago. In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period of the...
. The structures of the MFTB are exposed by to later generally East-West
East-West
-Side two:-Personnel:* Paul Butterfield — vocals, harmonica* Mike Bloomfield — electric guitar* Elvin Bishop — electric guitar, lead vocal on "Never Say No"* Mark Naftalin — piano, organ* Jerome Arnold — bass...
trending large-scale crustal extension in the Miocene
Miocene
The Miocene is a geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about . The Miocene was named by Sir Charles Lyell. Its name comes from the Greek words and and means "less recent" because it has 18% fewer modern sea invertebrates than the Pliocene. The Miocene follows the Oligocene...
, through what is known to geologists as the Colorado River Extensional Corridor. This North-South shortening is anomalous, as crustal shortening in the rest of the North American Cordillera
North American Cordillera
The North American Cordillera is the North American portion of the American Cordillera which is a cordillera extending up and down the western side of the Americas. The North American Cordillera covers an extensive area of mountain ranges, intermontane basins, and plateaus in western North...
is oriented generally East-West because of the generally East-West compression that was due to the subduction of the Farallon plate
Farallon Plate
The Farallon Plate was an ancient oceanic plate, which began subducting under the west coast of the North American Plate— then located in modern Utah— as Pangaea broke apart during the Jurassic Period...
under western North America. Also unlike the rest of the North American Cordillera, deformation in the Maria Fold and Thrust Belt involved rocks of the North American Craton, most notably the Grand Canyon sequence
Geology of the Grand Canyon area
The geology of the Grand Canyon area exposes one of the most complete and studied sequences of rock on Earth. The nearly 40 major sedimentary rock layers exposed in the Grand Canyon and in the Grand Canyon National Park area range in age from about 200 million to nearly 2 billion years old...
of sedimentary rocks.
Palen/McCoy Wilderness Area
The Little Maria Mountains are in the Palen/McCoy Wilderness Area, managed by the Bureau of Land ManagementBureau of Land Management
The Bureau of Land Management is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior which administers America's public lands, totaling approximately , or one-eighth of the landmass of the country. The BLM also manages of subsurface mineral estate underlying federal, state and private...
.
Within the Palen-McCoy Wilderness are the Little Maria, Granite, Arica
Arica Mountains
The Arica Mountains are a mountain range in Riverside County, California. They are in the Colorado Desert, in the Lower Colorado River Valley region...
, Palen
Palen Mountains
The Palen Mountains are located in the southern Mojave Desert - northern Colorado Desert in eastern Riverside County, California, USA. The range lies southeast of the Coxcomb Mountains, and northeast of the Chuckwalla Mountains near Interstate 10....
, and McCoy Mountains
McCoy Mountains
The McCoy Mountains are located in southeastern California in the United States.-Geography:The range lies in a northwest-southeasterly direction east of the Palen Mountains and south of the Little Maria Mountains...
, which are five distinct mountain ranges separated by broad sloping Alluvial fan
Alluvial fan
An alluvial fan is a fan-shaped deposit formed where a fast flowing stream flattens, slows, and spreads typically at the exit of a canyon onto a flatter plain. A convergence of neighboring alluvial fans into a single apron of deposits against a slope is called a bajada, or compound alluvial...
s-baJadas. Because this large area incorporates so many major geological features, the diversity of vegetation and landform
Landform
A landform or physical feature in the earth sciences and geology sub-fields, comprises a geomorphological unit, and is largely defined by its surface form and location in the landscape, as part of the terrain, and as such, is typically an element of topography...
s is exceptional. The desert wash woodland found here provides food and cover for burro deer
Mule Deer
The mule deer is a deer indigenous to western North America. The Mule Deer gets its name from its large mule-like ears. There are believed to be several subspecies, including the black-tailed deer...
, coyote, bobcat
Bobcat
The bobcat is a North American mammal of the cat family Felidae, appearing during the Irvingtonian stage of around 1.8 million years ago . With twelve recognized subspecies, it ranges from southern Canada to northern Mexico, including most of the continental United States...
, gray fox, and mountain lion. Desert pavement
Desert pavement
A desert pavement is a desert surface that is covered with closely packed, interlocking angular or rounded rock fragments of pebble and cobble size.-Formation:Several theories have been proposed for their formation...
, bajadas, interior valleys, canyons, dense ironwood forests, canyons and rugged peaks form a constantly changing landscape pattern.
See also
- Big Maria MountainsBig Maria MountainsThe Big Maria Mountains are located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of California, near the Colorado River and Arizona. The range lies between Blythe and Vidal, and west of U.S. Route 95 in California. The mountains are home to the Eagle Nest Mine and reach an elevation of 1,030 meters,...
- Category: Flora of the California desert regions
- Category: Protected areas of the Colorado Desert
- Category:Wilderness Areas within the Lower Colorado River Valley
- Category: Bureau of Land Management areas in California