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| Santa Clarita Valley | |
|---|---|
 View from theSierra Pelona Mountains | |
| Floor elevation | 1,000–1,800 feet (300–550 m) |
| Geography | |
| Location | Los Angeles County,California,United States |
| Population center | Santa Clarita |
| Borders on | Santa Clara River Valley (west) Soledad Canyon (east) |
| Coordinates | 34°25′N118°31′W / 34.42°N 118.52°W /34.42; -118.52 |
| Traversed by | Interstate 5,State Route 14 |
| River | Santa Clara River |
TheSanta Clarita Valley (SCV) is part of the upper watershed of theSanta Clara River inSouthern California. The western portion of the valley was part of the 48,612-acre (19,673 ha)Rancho San Francisco Mexicanland grant. Located inLos Angeles County. The valley's main population center is the city ofSanta Clarita which includes the neighborhoods ofCanyon Country,Newhall,Saugus, andValencia. Adjacent unincorporated communities includeCastaic,Stevenson Ranch,Val Verde, andValencia.
The Santa Clara River was named by Spanish explorers forClare of Assisi. The valley later became known as "little Santa Clara" in deference to the Northern California mission and city ofSanta Clara, California. In time, "little Santa Clara" became "Santa Clarita".[1]
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The Santa Clarita Valley is bordered by theLake Piru area, including the community ofVal Verde,Los Padres National Forest, andCastaic Lake to the northwest,Sierra Pelona Mountains andAngeles National Forest to the north and northeast,San Gabriel Mountains to the east and southeast, andSanta Susana Mountains to the south and southwest, andVentura County and theSanta Clara River Valley to the west. To the west-northwest lies theTopatopa Mountains.
Santa Clarita Valley is connected to a wide array of other nearby valleys: theSan Fernando Valley andLos Angeles Basin viaNewhall Pass to the south;Antelope Valley viaCA 14 throughSoledad Pass to the northeast; theSan Joaquin Valley viaI-5 throughTejon Pass to the northwest, andLeona Valley viaSan Francisquito andBouquet canyons.
Downstream lies theSanta Clara River Valley, which was given the moniker Heritage Valley by the tourism bureau representingPiru,Fillmore, andSanta Paula. Upstream isSoledad Canyon which contains the communities of Vincent,Acton, Ravenna, andAgua Dulce.
The Santa Clarita Valley is underlain byQuaternaryalluvial deposits and coarse-grainedPleistocene ageconglomerates dominated bysandstone of marine and non-marine origin. The far eastern end of the valley features predominantly coarse-grainedTertiary age formations ofsedimentary origin. The southern end ofBouquet Canyon features a large areas of artificial fill stretching from Newhall Ranch Road up to Copper Hill Drive.[2][3]
The valley is bisected by theSan Gabriel Fault, which runs through the center of the valley along a NW-SE axis. The much smaller Holser Fault runs east-to-west between the south-easternTopatopa Mountains and the present day community ofValencia. Neither fault line has been active since the earlyHolocene era.[4]
The valley is located in the northeastern extreme of the Ventura Basin Province, a petroleum-richsedimentary basin with a long history of oil and gas production.[5]
The valley features aMediterranean climate (KöppenCsa), approaching asemi-arid climate, with hot, dry summers and mild, moderately rainy winters with rare snowfall. Temperatures often exceed 100 °F (38 °C), even 110 °F (43 °C), on hot summer afternoons but rarely dip below 32 °F (0 °C) on cold winter nights. The valley lies withinplant hardiness zones 9b and 10a.[6]
Late spring and early summer mornings are oftenovercast due to the formation of amarine layer off the coast that moves inland overnight. These clouds typically retreat out of the valley by midday.
The valley is part of a"wind-tunnel-like-corridor" that connects the high desert with theOxnard Plain on the coast. This funnels theSanta Ana winds which spreads wildfires and has been called one of the "most dangerous wind and fire corridors in Southern California."[7]
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Characterized by dry hills covered in brush andchaparral, Santa Clarita is susceptible to wildfires. Although wildfires are most common in summer and fall, they can occur throughout the year during drought conditions, such as inDecember 2017. Wildfire risk is highest whenSanta Ana winds blow through the area from the Mojave Desert.
Notable wildfires in the Santa Clarita Valley include theBuckweed Fire,Sand Fire,Rye Fire,Tick Fire, andMaria Fire.
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Santa Clarita lies on the boundary between theWWF-designatedCalifornia coastal sage and chaparralecoregion to the southwest, andCalifornia montane chaparral and woodlands ecoregion to the northeast.
Resident species of note includebobcat,coyote,red-tailed hawk, anddesert cottontail.[8]
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