Everything about The Tehachapi Mountains totally explained
The
Tehachapi Mountains 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. 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).
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 range is crossed by
Tejon Pass at its southwestern end (providing the route for
Interstate 5). 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. (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.)
The less geographically dramatic
Tehachapi Pass found on
State Route 58 is at its northeastern end. It is also crossed by the
California Aqueduct that supplies water from the
Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to Southern California. The
Los Angeles Aqueduct flows along the southern edge of the mountains. The
Tehachapi Loop provides a major
railroad link across the mountains and is considered an engineering marvel.
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. (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.
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. This fault is unusual in California in that it's 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. Summer
monsoon season can bring localized torrential rains to parts of the range as well. To the south and southwest lie the main
Transverse Ranges in the
Los Padres National Forest and
Angeles National Forests. The prevailing wind is southwesterly, funneling through
Tejon Pass and into the east-west canyons and valleys of the Tehachapi range with regularity. To the northwest lies the
San Joaquin Valley with its
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 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 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.
Tehachapi Mountains in pop culture
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)Further Information
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