| California Coast Range | |
|---|---|
 Santa Lucia Range | |
| Highest point | |
| Peak | Mount Linn |
| Elevation | 8,098 ft (2,468 m) |
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 400 mi (640 km) |
| Geography | |
 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| Parent range | Pacific Coast Ranges |
The Coast Ranges ofCalifornia span 400 miles (644 km) fromDel Norte orHumboldt County, California, south toSanta Barbara County.[1] The other three coastal California mountain ranges are theTransverse Ranges,Peninsular Ranges and theKlamath Mountains.[1]
Physiographically, they are a section of the largerPacific Border province, which in turn is part of the largerPacific Mountain System physiographic division.UNESCO has included the "California Coast Ranges Biosphere Reserve" in itsMan and the Biosphere Programme ofWorld Network of Biosphere Reserves since 1983.[2]
The northern end of the California Coast Ranges overlap the southern end of theKlamath Mountains for approximately 80 miles (130 km) on the west. They extend southward for more than 60 miles (97 km) to where the coastline turns eastward along theSanta Barbara Channel, around the area ofPoint Conception. Here the southern end meets the Los AngelesTransverse Ranges, orSierras de los Angeles.[3] The rocks themselves that comprise the mountains are of a great variety and widely varying geologic ages. Most of the rocks were formed during theTertiary,Cretaceous andJurassic periods. Most were deposited on the sea bottom as sediments, but in many places also had cracks, crevices and other gaps infused with molten lava or other masses ofigneous rock, which were forced in molten condition into the sedimentary rocks. All of the range has beenfolded andfaulted during several periods, with erosion of the softer rock giving much of the current appearance.[citation needed]
The California Ranges had a high production ofmercury following the discovery of gold in theSierra Nevada. In theCache Creek Basin,Cenozoiccinnabar deposits nearClear Lake are the northernmost of a group of similar deposits associated with volcanism and migration of a transform fault system. During 1877, these deposits hit their peak production of mercury, producing approximately 2,776 metric tons (3,060 short tons). These abandoned mines are still a source of mine waste runoff in Cache Creek and other downstream bodies of water.[4]
TheNorthern Coast Ranges are a section of the California Coast Ranges. They run parallel to thePacific Coast from theNorth San Francisco Bay Area to coastalDel Norte County. TheKlamath Mountains, including theSiskiyou Mountains sub-range, lie to the north and northeast. The Southern Coast Ranges lie to the south.
The Northern Coast Ranges run north–south parallel to the coast. Component ranges within the Northern Coast Ranges include theMendocino Range of westernMendocino County and theMayacamas,Sonoma, andVaca Mountains and theMarin Hills of theNorth Bay.
They also include theKing Range, which meet the sea in the "Lost Coast" region. The southernmost peak of the Northern Coast Ranges isMount Tamalpais.
The highest point in the Northern Coast Ranges isMount Linn, at 8,098 ft. (2,468 m).
The Northern Coast Ranges consist of two main parallel belts of mountains, the Outer Northern Coast Ranges lying along the coast, and the Inner Northern Coast Ranges running inland to the east. They are separated by a long system of valleys. The northern valley portion is drained by theEel River and its tributaries, and the southern by theRussian River. A series of short rivers, including theMattole,Gualala, andNavarro rivers, drain the western slopes of the ranges. The eastern slopes of the ranges drain into theSacramento Valley.Clear Lake lies in the southeast portion of the range, and drains eastward viaCache Creek.
U.S. Route 101 runs generally north–south in the valleys between the Outer and Inner Northern Coast Ranges.
The seaward face of the coastal Outer Northern Coast Ranges is part of theNorthern California coastal forests ecoregion, home to lush forests ofCoast Redwood andCoast Douglas-fir.[1]
The inland and dryer Inner Northern Coast Ranges are part of theCalifornia chaparral and woodlands ecoregion, home to a number of plant communities including:mixed evergreen forest;oak woodland; andInterior chaparral and woodland. A major specific plant community of the inner ranges isMediterranean California Lower Montane Black Oak-Conifer Forest, which supports particularly highbiodiversity within the California Coast Ranges, including the nominateCalifornia Black Oak.
ColumbianBlack-tailed Deer are the most widespread large mammal, after humans, of the Northern Coast Ranges. The rivers in the ranges are home to several species ofsalmon.
TheSouthern Coast Ranges, of the California Coast Ranges in the Pacific Coast Ranges System, run north and south, parallel to the Pacific Coast in north-central through north-southern California. The Southern Coast Ranges begin on theSan Francisco Peninsula and in theEast San Francisco Bay Area, and run south intoSanta Barbara County. TheTransverse Ranges lie to the south. TheSan Joaquin Valley is on the east, and Pacific Ocean on the west.
The Southern Coast Ranges include theBerkeley Hills, theDiablo Range, theSanta Cruz Mountains, theGabilan Range, theSanta Lucia Range andSierra de Salinas, theTemblor Range, and theSierra Madre.
There are Outer Southern Coast Ranges along the Pacific Ocean on the west, and Inner Southern Coast Ranges to the east, inland to theSan Joaquin Valley. The central and southernSan Francisco Bay and theSalinas Valley lie between them.
The highest point of the Southern Coast Ranges isJunipero Serra Peak in the Santa Lucia Range, at 5,862 feet (1,787 m).[5] Other peaks includeMount Diablo at 3,849 feet (1,173 m), andMount Hamilton at 4,196 feet (1,279 m).
The Southern Coast Ranges have a predominantlyMediterranean climate, and are primarily within theCalifornia chaparral and woodlandsecoregion. However, the moister areas of theSanta Cruz Mountains lie within theNorthern California coastal forests ecoregion, characterized by forests ofCoast redwood. Isolated groves of Coast redwoods are also found in theBig Sur region of the Santa Lucia Range, making them the southernmost natural occurrences of the species.
Some of the rarest foresthabitat that occurs in the California Coast Ranges are theMaritime Coast Range Ponderosa Pine forests of the western Santa Cruz Mountains.[6] These isolated groves may includePonderosa pine,Douglas fir, andknobcone pine.
Notably, the highest slopes of the Santa Lucias contain small patches of Sierran Conifer forest, includingincense cedar, and ponderosa, Jeffrey, andsugar pines. Steep rocky slopes harbor the endemicSanta Lucia Fir, the rarest species of fir on earth.
The California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion has a great range of plant communities in the Southern Coast Ranges, includingmixed evergreen forests,oak woodland andsavannas,grasslands,northern coastal scrub, and theMonterey Pine woodlands of theMonterey Peninsula and two other coastal enclaves of the Santa Lucia Range. The name "chaparral" comes from theSpanish wordchaparro, applied toCalifornia scrub oaks andCoastal scrub oaks.
Common tree species of oak woodlands include oaks,California bay, andbuckeye.[5]Riparian species of the coast ranges includesycamore,white alder,willows, andbigleaf maple.
ColumbianBlack-tailed deer occupy the northern and more coastal portions of the Southern Coast Ranges, andCalifornia mule deer occupy inland and southernmost portions of the Southern Coast Ranges.
