Hobbies And Interests
The Chihuahuan Desert
The Chihuahuan Desert covers approximately 175,000 square miles, including portions of western Arizona, southern New Mexico and Texas, as well as a large area in Mexico. The desert is sandwiched between the Sierra Madre Occidental and Sierra Madre Oriental mountain ranges, which block moisture from reaching the desert. The region contains many small mountain ranges, including the Franklins in Texas and the San Andreas and Dona in New Mexico, as well as river valleys forged by the Rio Grande and Pecos rivers. It is a relatively young desert, only roughly 8,000 years old, but is currently expanding through a process known as desertification.
The Sonoran Desert
The Sonoran Desert is the hottest of the American deserts. It covers around 100,000 square miles, including the southern half of Arizona and portions of southeastern California, as well part of Mexico. Despite its heat, the Sonoran desert is unusually lush compared to other deserts. It is divided into two regions: the Colorado and the Yuma deserts. The Colorado division, located closer to the Pacific Ocean, is known for its beautiful spring foliage but lacks the summer rains found in the Yuma section. Summer high temperatures can exceed 120 degrees, with surface temperatures nearing 180 degrees. The driest portions receive less than 3 inches of rainfall, with some areas going several years without precipitation.
The Great Basin Desert
The Great Basin Desert is located between the Sierra Nevada-Cascade mountain range and the Rocky Mountains. It covers nearly all of Nevada, half of Utah and small portions of Oregon and California. It is a temperate desert, with hot dry summers and cold snowy winters. It is the only cold desert in America, meaning that most of its precipitation falls as snow. Unlike the other American deserts, the Great Basin has a relatively limited range of plants. It is dominated by the sagebrush and various types of saltbrush. In fact, it is known as the Great Basin Sagebrush Zone. The desert includes several dry lakes, including the Great Salt Lake in Utah.
The Mojave Desert
The Mojave Desert is the smallest of the four American deserts, forming a transitional zone between the Sonoran and Great Basin deserts. It covers a little over 25,000 square miles, including portions of southeastern California, Nevada and Utah. Its vegetation, similar to the Colorado division of the Sonoran, is sparse, but does include around 200 endemic plants not found in the Sonoran or Great Basin deserts. Its elevation and latitude are both higher than the Sonoran, resulting in a lower average temperature. However, it also includes Death Valley, the lowest point in the U.S., where temperatures rise to a maximum of 134 degrees.