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Tehachapi Mountains
Range
none Wind farm east of Tehachapi Pass
Wind farm east of Tehachapi Pass
Country United States
State California
Counties Kern, Los Angeles
Borders on Coast Ranges, Sierra Nevada
Highest point Double Mountain
 - elevation 7,981 ft (2,433 m)

The Tehachapi Mountains (IPA: /təˈhætʃəˌpi/) are a short transverse range in southern California in the United States, running SW-NE connecting the Coast Ranges on the west with the southern end of the Sierra Nevada mountains on the east. Tehachapi Pass (elevation) is a Mountain pass in southern California in the United States. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. Kern County is a County located in the southern Central Valley of the U Los Angeles County is a county in California and is by far the most populous county in the United States. The Pacific Coast Ranges are the series of Mountain ranges that stretch along the west coast of North America from Alaska to northern and central Mexico The Sierra Nevada ( Spanish for "Snowy Range" is a Mountain range located in the U A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International The Transverse Ranges (or more accurately the Los Angeles Ranges) are a group of mountain ranges of southern California, one of the various North American Southern California, or So Cal, is defined as the southern portion of the U California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Pacific Coast Ranges are the series of Mountain ranges that stretch along the west coast of North America from Alaska to northern and central Mexico The Sierra Nevada ( Spanish for "Snowy Range" is a Mountain range located in the U The range extends for approximately 40 mi (64 km) SW-NE in southern Kern County southeast of Bakersfield and vary in height from approximately 4,000 ft (1,220 m) to 8,000 ft (2,440 m). Kern County is a County located in the southern Central Valley of the U

Contents

Description

The range forms a barrier separating the San Joaquin Valley to the northwest and the Mojave Desert in the Great Basin to the southeast. The San Joaquin Valley (ˌsæn wɑːˈkiːn refers to the area of the Central Valley of California that lies south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta For the indigenous American tribe see Mohave. The Mojave Desert (moʊˈhɑːvi or /məˈhɑːvi/ ( Hayikwiir Mat'aar in Mojave The Great Basin is a large arid region of the western United States. The range is crossed by Tejon Pass at its southwestern end (providing the route for Interstate 5). The Tejon Pass (teɪˈhoʊn is a Mountain pass at the southwest end of the Tehachapi Mountains linking Southern to Central California Route description Southern California See also San Diego Freeway, Santa Ana Freeway, Golden State Freeway Interstate 5 starts The dramatic incline of Interstate 5 on the northern slopes of this mountain range, downhill to the San Joaquin Valley floor, is regionally referred to as The Grapevine because of the grapevines still found on the earlier route on the mountain slope next to the highway. Route description Southern California See also San Diego Freeway, Santa Ana Freeway, Golden State Freeway Interstate 5 starts (Sometimes this colloquial name is extended to describe the portion of Interstate 5 on the southern slopes of the mountain range as well, which drops into Santa Clarita, California and the Los Angeles metro area. Route description Southern California See also San Diego Freeway, Santa Ana Freeway, Golden State Freeway Interstate 5 starts Santa Clarita is the fourth largest city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West )

The less geographically dramatic Tehachapi Pass found on State Route 58 is at its northeastern end. Tehachapi Pass (elevation) is a Mountain pass in southern California in the United States. State Route 58 is an East - West Highway across the southern San Joaquin Valley, the Tehachapi Mountains, which border the It is also crossed by the California Aqueduct that supplies water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to Southern California. The California Aqueduct is a 444  Mile  (715  km)-long Aqueduct in the United States The Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta is an expansive inland River delta and Estuary in northern California in the United States. The Los Angeles Aqueduct flows along the southern edge of the mountains. There are two Los Angeles Aqueducts, the First Los Angeles Aqueduct (or the Owens Valley aqueduct) (completed 1913 and the Second Los Angeles Aqueduct The Tehachapi Loop provides a major railroad link across the mountains and is considered an engineering marvel. The Tehachapi Loop is a long ' spiral ' or Helix, on the railroad main line through Tehachapi Pass, in south central California.

The Tehachapis, though not a long or high mountain range as California mountain ranges go, are regarded by many Californians as the dividing feature that separates northern California from southern California (though some contend that southern California extends as far north as the Fresno area). Because the Ridge Route auto highway was constructed across these mountains and the ranges south of it in the early 20th century, many historians say California averted a potential split into two separate states - North California and South California. The Ridge Route, officially the Castaic-Tejon Route, is a narrow two-lane Highway in the northern Greater Los Angeles Area of the U (There have in fact been two distinct periods of California history where this split has been discussed in the legislature, in 1860 and 1965, and both proposed the crest of the Tehachapi Mountains as the new border. Both proposals, of course, failed. )

The Monolith cement works, which supplied cement for the construction of Hoover Dam, among other major public works, is situated in the Tehachapis east of Tehachapi Pass. Hoover Dam, also sometimes known as Boulder Dam, is a Concrete Arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the

Geology

The Tehachapis are largely the result of the movements of the Garlock Fault,located along the southern base of the range, a major transform fault which runs from the San Andreas Fault in the west to the Sierra Fault on the east and some distance beyond. The Garlock Fault is a left-lateral strike-slip fault line running approximately northeast - southwest in southern California. A transform fault is a fault which runs along the boundary of a Tectonic plate. The San Andreas Fault is a geologic Transform fault that runs a length of roughly 800 miles (1300 km through California in the United States. This fault is unusual in California in that it is a left-lateral fault, that is, it's motion is opposite to most of the faults in the state which are right-lateral faults.

Climate

The range is in an interesting crossroads among climate zones. The Great Basin to the east and southeast typically receives just a few inches of precipitation a year, usually in winter. The Great Basin is a large arid region of the western United States. Summer monsoon season can bring localized torrential rains to parts of the range as well. A monsoon is a seasonal prevailing wind which lasts for several months To the south and southwest lie the main Transverse Ranges in the Los Padres National Forest and Angeles National Forests. The Transverse Ranges (or more accurately the Los Angeles Ranges) are a group of mountain ranges of southern California, one of the various North American Los Padres National Forest is a forest located in southern and central California, which includes most of the mountainous land along the California coast from Ventura to The Angeles National Forest (ANF was established on July 1 1908, incorporating the first San Bernardino National Forest and parts of Santa Barbara The prevailing wind is southwesterly, funneling through Tejon Pass and into the east-west canyons and valleys of the Tehachapi range with regularity. The Tejon Pass (teɪˈhoʊn is a Mountain pass at the southwest end of the Tehachapi Mountains linking Southern to Central California To the northwest lies the San Joaquin Valley with its oak savanna climbing the broad western slopes of the range. The San Joaquin Valley (ˌsæn wɑːˈkiːn refers to the area of the Central Valley of California that lies south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta An oak savanna is a type of Savanna, or lightly-forested grassland with Oaks as the dominant tree species Like sand dunes piling up where winds converge, the Tehachapis collect marine and valley moisture, which piles up into fog that blankets the range many weeks of the year. Like Sicily is to Italy, the Tehachapi crest is a subalpine island at the toe of the Sierra Nevada, which dominates the northern skyline. The higher north-facing (subalpine) slopes are mixed conifer and scrub oak, while the south-facing (continental) are live oak, scrub and Gray Pine (Pinus sabaniana), typical of the relationship between the moisture-retaining northern slopes and the year-round exposed southern slopes. The Gray Pine ( Pinus sabineana) is a Pine endemic to California in the United States. The area surrounding the Tehachapi Crest is semiarid, including the sage country of the Tehachapi Pass area. Canyons, even on southern slopes, however, can have year-round water flows, particularly when orographic enhancement has squeezed extra precipitation from passing storms and snowmelt during the spring months. Orography is the average height of land measured in geopotential meters, over a certain domain

Panoramic view of the Tehachapi Mountains.
Panoramic view of the Tehachapi Mountains.

Tehachapi Mountains in pop culture

Peaks

See also

Mountains named Cummings Mountain or variations United States In the United States, according to USGS GNIS Edmonston Pumping Plant is a Pumping station near the south end of the California Aqueduct. The San Emigdio Mountains are a part of the Transverse Ranges in Southern California, extending from Interstate 5 at the Grapevine on the The Sierra Pelona Mountains, also known as the Sierra Pelona Range, are a rocky transverse range in Southern California. The Temblor Range lies at the southwestern end of the San Joaquin Valley in California in the United States. The San Joaquin Valley (ˌsæn wɑːˈkiːn refers to the area of the Central Valley of California that lies south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta
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