tehachapi mountains

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Tehachapi Mountains

Tehachapi Mountains Crest peaks

Highest point

Peak Double Mountain

Elevation 7,981 ft (2,433 m)

Dimensions

Length 40 mi (64 km)

Geography

Country United States

State California

Counties Kern and Los Angeles

Range

coordinates

3457N 11835W

Borders on Sierra Nevada, San Emigdio Mountains

and Sierra Pelona Mountains

Tehachapi MountainsFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Tehachapi Mountains (pron.: /thtpi/),

regionally also called The Tehachapis, are a

mountain range in the Transverse Ranges system

of California in the Western United States. Therange extends for approximately 40 miles

(64 km) in southern Kern County and

northeastern Los Angeles County.

Contents

1 Geography

2 Geology

3 Natural history3.1 Flora

3.2 Fauna

3.3 Climate

4 History

5 Peaks

6 See also

7 References

8 External links

Geography

The Tehachapis form a geographic, watershed,

habitat, and rain shadow divide separating the

San Joaquin Valley to the northwest and the

Mojave Desert to the southeast. The Tehachapis'

crest varies in height from approximately

4,0008,000 feet (1,2002,400 m). They are

southeast of Bakersfield and the Central Valley,

and west of Mojave and the Antelope Valley.The range runs southwest to northeast (SW-NE)

connecting the Southern Sierra Nevada range on

their northeast with the San Emigdio Mountains

on the west and Sierra Pelona Mountains on the

southwest.

The Tehachapis are delineated from the San

Emigdio Mountains by Tejon Pass at the range's

western end. The dramatic incline of Interstate 5

from the San Joaquin Valley floor up to the pass,

is regionally referred to as The Grapevine, after Grapevine Canyon which it follows between the northern

slopes of the two mountain ranges. The canyon was named after native grapevines, the California grapevine

(Vitis californica), found at springs on its slopes.[1]

The California State Water Project is to the east, with

the California Aqueduct pumped by the Edmonston Pumping Plant over/through the Tehachapis to Castaic

Coordinates: 3457N 11835W

achapi Mountains - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tehachapi_Mountains

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The California mixed evergreen forest plant

community in the upper Tehachapi Mountains

Lake reservoir.

The Tehachapis are delineated from the Sierra Pelona Mountains by California State Route 138 at the range's

southwestern end, connecting Interstate 5 and the Antelope Valley.

The Tehachapis are delineated from the Sierra Nevada by Tehachapi Pass and State Route 58 at the range's

northeastern end, connecting the San Joaquin Valley and Mojave Desert. The Union Pacific north/south

railroad line, with the famous Tehachapi Loop, crosses here also. The Tehachapi Pass Wind Farm is on its

eastern side.

The Tehachapis, though neither as long or high as other California mountain ranges, are often considered the

topographic feature that separates this part of Northern California from Southern California, with the

geographic boundary often being Kern County. Some historians consider that California averted a potential

split into two separate states - "North California" and "South California" - from the early 20th century Ridge

Route construction, the first highway crossing these mountains to connect the Greater Los Angeles and San

Joaquin Valley regions.[2]

GeologyThe Tehachapis are largely the result of the movements of the Garlock Fault, located along the southeastern

base of the range, a major transform fault which runs from the San Andreas Fault in the west to the Sierra

Nevada Fault on the east and some distance beyond. This earthquake fault is unusual in California in that it

is a left-lateral fault meaning that if one stands facing the fault, the land on the opposite side moves to the

left opposite to most of the state's faults which are right-lateral faults.

Natural history

The Tehachapi Mountains are a major and crucialwildlife corridor and plant habitat bridge linking the

other Transverse Ranges and the California Coast

Ranges on the west with the Sierra Nevada on the east.

Their relative lack of development, especially in the

large Tejon Ranch section, have allowed the continuity

of these ecological functions to date.

Flora

See also: Index: Flora of California chaparral andwoodlands

The Tehachapis are primarily in the California interior

chaparral and woodlands sub-ecoregion, with native

grasslands, California oak woodlands and Oak savanna

the predominate habitats. The higher montane elevations include the California mixed evergreen forest plant

community. Some of the chaparral woodland species include: Canyon Live Oak (Quercus chrysolepis),

Valley oak (Quercus lobata), Blue Oak (Quercus douglasii), and Gray pine (Pinus sabiniana).[3]

Montane species include: Black oak (Quercus kelloggii), Coulter Pine (Pinus coulteri), Incense Cedar

(Calocedrus decurrens), White Fir (Abies concolor), and in a few remote locations small stands of Quaking

aspen (Populus tremuloides).[4]

The Tehachapi linanthus (Leptosiphon nudatus) is a phlox plant species endemic to chaparral habitat in the


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The eastern Tehachapi foothills:

panoramic view with the Tehachapi Pass Wind Farm.

Tehachapi Mountains and the southern Sierra Nevada. The Tehachapi ragwort (Packera ionophylla) is an

aster plant species endemic to forest habitat in the Tehachapis and eastern Transverse Ranges. The

Tehachapi buckwheat (Eriogonum callistum) is known only from the chaparral of the Tehachapis.[5]

Fauna

See also: Index: Fauna of the California chaparral and woodlands

The Tehachapi slender salamander is endemic to the Tehachapi Mountains and a listed Vulnerable species.

The White-eared Pocket Mouse is endemic to the Tehachapis and San Bernardino Mountains and a listed

Endangered species.

There are at least 107 bird species, including the Steller's Jay and Mountain Chickadee, found in the

Tehachapis,[6]

many which consume acorns of the Black oak (Quercus kelloggii) as part of their diet.[7]

Other flora found here include the buckbrush and mountain mahogany. The notable raptor is the California

Condor, a Critically endangered species. As in many California mountains, larger fauna includes: mule deer,

mountain lion, coyote, fox, black bear, feral pig, bobcat and raccoon.

Climate

The range includes and is the boundary between the xeric Mojave Desert and Mediterranean climate zones,

and includes the subalpine zone. The majority of the range is in the Mediterranean climate zone, receiving

precipitation in the winter similar to the neighboring Transverse Ranges in the Los Padres and Angeles

National Forests to the west and southwest. They create a rain shadow for the eastern foothills ecotone into

the Mojave climate zone that typically receives only a few inches of precipitation a year, usually in winter.

Summer monsoon season can bring localized rains to the higher subalpine parts of the range.

The prevailing wind is northwesterly, funneling up the east-west canyons from the San Joaquin Valley into

the valleys, upper canyons, and passes of the Tehachapi range with regularity. The Tehachapi Pass WindFarm exists due to this. To the northwest lies the San Joaquin Valley with its grasslands and oak savanna

climbing the broad western slopes of the range. Like sand dunes piling up where winds converge, the

Tehachapis collect marine and valley moisture, which piles up into fog that blankets the windward sides of

the range many weeks of the year. The higher north-facing slopes are mixed evergreen forest, while the

south-facing are chaparral and woodlands, typical of the relationship between the cooler moisture-retaining

northern slopes and the exposed warmer and dryer southern slopes. Canyons, even on southern slopes, can

have year-round surface water flow, from springs and where orographic enhancement brings extra

precipitation and snow from passing storms.

History

Indigenous peoples

The origin of the name Tehachapi may

come from the Kawaiisu language,

derived from the word "tihachipia"

translated as "hard climb".[8]

The historic Indigenous peoples of

California with homelands in the

Tehachapi Mountains were the:

Kitanemuk

Kawaiisu[9]


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Serrano people

Ranchos

The historic Mexican land grants in the Tehachapis are:

Rancho El Tejon (1843)

Rancho Castac (1843)

Rancho La Liebre (1846)Rancho Los Alamos y Agua Caliente (1846)

All four Tehachapi ranchos were acquired over 1855 to 1866 and combined by Edward Beale. As the Tejon

Ranch it stayed in the family until sold by Truxtun Beale 1912. The purchase was by a Harry Chandler

Moses Sherman lead syndicate of land investors, and became a public company in 1936. Tejon Ranch is

still one of the largest private landholdings in the state, and currently an undeveloped agricultural and

wildland entity. The Tejon Ranch corporation has recently proposed major new developments in portions of

the Tehachapi Mountains, including the Tejon Mountain Village and Centennial, California planned urban

center.

Other historic sites of the Tehachapi region

Oak Creek Pass - Indian trail in the Tehachapis, Francisco Garces was first European to use the pass in

1776

Fort Tejon: 1854 fort, with the nearby former 1854 Chumash Sebastian Indian Reservation. Now Fort

Tejon State Historic Park in the Tejon Pass area.

1857 Fort Tejon earthquake - moment magnitude of 7.9, average slip along the fault was 4.5 meters

(15 ft)

Monolith Cement Works: supplied concrete for the construction of Hoover Dam and other major

public works; east of Tehachapi Pass.

Peaks

Double Mountain 7,981 ft (2,433 m)

Tehachapi Mountain 7,960+ ft (2,426+ m)

Cummings Mountain 7,760+ ft (2,365+ m)

Bear Mountain 6,920+ ft (2,109+ m)

Black Mountain 5,686 ft (1,733 m)

Grapevine Peak 4,815 ft (1,468 m)

See also

Tehachapi, California

Tejon Hills

Tejon Mountain Village

Centennial, California

Path 26

References

^ Note: the colloquial name The Grapevine is sometimes extended to include the portion of Interstate 5 on the

southern side of Tejon Pass, especially during snow closures.

1.

^ Note: there have been two occasions in California state history, in 1860 and 1965, when the split into two

separate states was proposed in the state legislature, both using the crest of the Tehachapi Mountains as the new

2.


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border, and both proposals failing.

^ U.C. Jepson treatment (http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?195,210,232)3.

^ The American Journal of Science; By Yale University Dept. of Geology and Geophysics; Published by J.D.

& E.S. Dana, 1940

4.

^ The Nature Conservancy:E. callistum (http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet

/NatureServe?searchName=Eriogonum+callistum)

5.

^ Moore, Jean (December 2010). "Tehachapi Sightings" (http://www.tehachapibirdclub.com/sightings/monthly-

sightings/296-tehachapi-sightings-dec-10.html) . Tehachapi Mountain Birding Club.

http://www.tehachapibirdclub.com/sightings/monthly-sightings/296-tehachapi-sightings-dec-10.html.

6.

^ Hogan, C. Michael (2008). "Quercus kelloggii" (http://www.globaltwitcher.com

/artspec_information.asp?thingid=82385) . In N. Stromberg. Globaltwitcher. http://www.globaltwitcher.com

/artspec_information.asp?thingid=82385.

7.

^ Tomo-Kahni Resource Center (http://www.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=610) . accessed 12.12.20108.

^ http://www.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=610 Tomo-Kahni/Kawaiisu . accessed 12.12.20109.

External links

Tomo-Kahni State Historic Park website (http://www.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=610) - with

the Kawaiisu Native American Village

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tehachapi_Mountains&oldid=513403128"

Categories: Tehachapi Mountains Transverse Ranges Mountain ranges of Southern California

Mountain ranges of Northern California Mountain ranges of the Mojave Desert

Mountain ranges of Kern County, California Mountain ranges of Los Angeles County, California

Geography of Southern California

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