Mojave Desert

Mojave Desert, arid region, part of the Great Basin area situated in southern California and portions of Arizona, Nevada, and Utah. It extends from the Sierra Nevada to the Colorado Plateau in the north-east; in the south-west, it borders the San Gabriel range and the San Bernardino Mountains. The Colorado Desert is adjacent. Death Valley, with the lowest point in the Western hemisphere, borders the Mojave Desert in the east. The Mojave has an area of about 38,850 sq km (15,000 sq mi). The climate is very dry, with about 130 mm (5 in) of rain annually; summers are hot and dry while most of the precipitation comes in the winter, when temperatures often fall below freezing. Extreme variations of temperature have been noted, both daily and seasonally. About 200 endemic plant species, mostly shrubs and grasses, occur in the desert; trees are rare, though the unusual Joshua tree (see Yucca) grows there at higher elevations. The Mojave has deposits of iron ore, tungsten, silver, and some gold. Potash, salt, and borax are extracted from extensive salt flats in central regions.