Learning, Exploring and Discovering: Our Homeschool Life: California History Lesson 5 (Geography)

California History

Geography of California

Lesson 5

Part Three: The Regions of California

Deserts

*There are three main deserts in California: the Mojave Desert, the Colorado Desert, the Great Basin Desert

*The Mojave Desert is bounded by the Tehachapi Mountains on the northwest, and the San Gabriel and San Bernardino Mountains on the south. It extends eastward to California's borders with Arizona and Nevada and also forms portions of northwest Arizona.

*The Mojave Desert is California’s largest. It contains Death Valley. Death Valley, the United State’s lowest point (282 feet below sea level) is found here. Death Valley has little water, few plants, and very hot summers. It isn't very populated.

*The Colorado Desert lies in the southeastern corner of California, between the Colorado River and the Transverse Ranges, and continues into Mexico and Arizona to the south and east. It is part of the Sonoran Desert.

*The Colorado Desert region is about 7 million acres. It includes Imperial County and includes parts of San Diego County, Riverside County, and a small part of San Bernardino County.

*The majority of the Colorado Desert lies at a low elevation, below 1,000 feet. The lowest point of the desert floor is 275 feet below sea level at the Salton Sea. Most of the region's mountains are fairly low, not exceeding 3,000 feet.

*The Great Basin Desert is the largest U.S. desert at 200,000 square miles.

*The Great Basin desert lies immediately to the east of the Sierra Nevada cordillera and extends eastward into the state of Nevada. The deserts encompass the entire Imperial County; the southern and eastern portion of Inyo County; the eastern portions of Mono County, Los Angeles County, Kern County, San Diego County, Riverside County; and most of northern and eastern San Bernardino County.

*California Deserts have an extreme climate (from extreme heat in summer to freezing temperature in at night). They are hot and dry year round.

*The land is dry with little vegetation

*The Mojave Desert receives fewer than 13 inches of rain.

*Winter months bring temperatures dipping to around 20 °F on valley floors, and below 0 °F at higher elevations. Temperatures after the middle of May are normally above 90 °F and frequently above 100°F.

*Summer weather is dominated by heat. Temperatures on valley floors can soar above 120 °F and above 130 °F at the lowest elevations. Low humidity, high temperatures, and low pressure, draw in moisture from the Gulf of Mexico creating thunderstorms across the desert southwest known as the North American monsoon.

*Autumn is generally pleasant, with one to two Pacific storm systems creating some rain events. October is one of the driest and sunniest months in the Mojave; and temperatures usually remain between 70 °F and 90 °F on the valley floors.

*The Colorado Desert's climate makes it from other desserts. It has greater summer daytime temperatures than higher-elevation deserts and almost never has frost. It also has two rainy seasons per year (in the winter and late summer).

*The west coast Peninsular Ranges, of Southern California–northern Baja California, block most eastern Pacific coastal air and rains, giving it an arid climate. Other short or longer-term weather systems can move in from the Gulf of California to the south, and are often active in the summer monsoons.

*Great Basin Desert climate: This is a cool or "cold desert" because of its more northern latitude and higher elevations (at least 3,000 feet, but more commonly from 4,000 to 6,500 feet).

*Precipitation, generally 7-12 inches annually, is more evenly distributed throughout the year than in the other three North American deserts. There is often snow.

*Animals: badger, black-tailed jackrabbit, bobcat, cactus-wren, California quail, California tiger salamander, coyote, desert bighorn sheep, desert eagle, desert tortoise, free-tail bat, gila monster, gray fox, horned lizard, kangaroo rat, kingsnake, kit fox, mojave rattlesnake, mountain lion, mule deer, owl, porcupine, pronghorn antelope, red-tail hawk, rosy boa, striped skunk,

*Cities in the desert: Palm Springs, Needles, El Centro, Lancaster

*How does this area provide for our needs? (mining of borax, gas drilling, aviation)

Foldable book

Fold paper in half.

Inside write 5 facts about the region.

On the outside, draw a picture of the region. (Directed draw)