29 Facts About Mojave Desert

Mojave Desert is a xeric desert in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada mountains in the Southwestern United States.

The Mojave Desert is bordered to the west by the Sierra Nevada mountain range and the California montane chaparral and woodlands, and to the south and east by the Sonoran Desert.

The boundaries to the east of the Mojave Desert are less distinctive than the other boundaries because there is no presence of an indicator species, such as the Joshua tree, which is endemic to the Mojave Desert.

The Mojave Desert is distinguished from the Sonoran Desert and other deserts adjacent to it by its warm temperate climate, as well as flora and fauna such as ironwood, blue Palo Verde (Parkinsonia florida), chuparosa (Justicia californica), spiny menodora (Menodora spinescens), desert senna (Cassia armata), California dalea (Psorothamnus arborescens), and goldenhead (Acamptopappus shockleyi).

The Mojave Desert contains various silver, tungsten, iron and gold deposits.

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The Mojave Desert is often colloquially called the "high desert", as most of it lies between 2, 000 and 4, 000 feet.

Mojave Desert is a shortened form of, an endonym in their native language, which means "beside the water".

Mojave Desert has a relatively stable and intact conservation status.

The Mojave Desert is one of the best protected distinct ecoregions in the United States, as a result of the California Desert Protection Act, which established the Death Valley, Joshua Tree National Parks and the Mojave National Preserve.

However, the southwest and central east portions of the Mojave Desert are particularly threatened as a result of off-road vehicles, human development, and agricultural grazing.

The United States military maintains installations in the Mojave Desert, making the Mojave a critical training location for the United States Department of Defense.

Mojave Desert is bordered by the San Andreas fault to the Southwest and the Garlock fault to the North.

The Mojave Desert is home to the Devils Playground, about 40 miles of dunes and salt flats going in a northwest-southeasterly direction.

The Devil's Playground is a part of the Mojave Desert National Preserve and is between the town of Baker, California and Providence Mountains.

Mojave Desert is a source of various minerals and metallic materials.

Mojave Desert has not historically supported a fire regime because of low fuel loads and connectivity.

Mojave Desert was likely under shallow water for most of its formation.

Mojave Desert is one of the most popular spots for tourism in North America, primarily because of the international destination of Las Vegas.

The Mojave Desert is known for its scenery, playing host to Death Valley National Park, Joshua Tree National Park, and the Mojave Desert National Preserve.

The Mojave Desert includes three California State Parks, the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve, in Lancaster, Saddleback Butte State Park, in Hi Vista and Red Rock Canyon State Park.

Mojave Desert Narrows Park, operated by San Bernardino County, is a former ranch along the Mojave Desert River.

Mojave Desert flora is not a vegetation type, although the plants in the area have evolved in isolation because of the physical barriers of the Sierra Nevadas and the Colorado Plateau.

Predominant plants of the Mojave desert include all-scale, creosote bush (Larrea tridentata), brittlebush (Encelia farinosa), desert holly (Atriplex hymenelytra), white burrobush (Hymenoclea s la), and most notably, the Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia).

Less common but distinctive plants of the Mojave desert include ironwood, blue Palo Verde (Parkinsonia Florida), chuparosa (Justicia californica), spiny menodora (Menodora spinescens), desert senna (Cassia armata), California dalea (Psorothamnus arborescens), and goldenhead (Acamptopappus shockleyi).

Good portion of the fauna of the Mojave Desert extends into the neighboring Sonoran and Great Basin deserts.

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However, endemic fauna of the Mojave Desert include Kelso Dunes jerusalem cricket, the Kelso Dunes shieldback katydid (Eremopedes kelsoensis), the Mohave ground squirrel (Spermophilus Mohavensis) and Amargosa vole (Microtus californicus scirpensis).

Notably, Joshua Tree National Park, Death Valley National Park, and the Mojave National Preserve by the California Desert Protection Act of 1994.

Smaller cities or micropolitan areas in the Mojave Desert include Helendale, Lake Havasu City, Kingman, Laughlin, Bullhead City and Pahrump.

Mojave Desert has several ghost towns; the most significant is the gold-mining town of Oatman, Arizona, the silver and copper-mining town of Calico, California, and the old railroad depot of Kelso, California.