Altar Valley
Encyclopedia
The Altar Valley is a 45-mile (72 km) long north-south valley, trending slightly northeast from Sasabe, Arizona on the Mexico border to the Avra Valley, Arizona
west of the Tucson Mountains
. It is delimited by Arizona State Route 86, from east-to-west on the north separating it from Avra Valley which then trends northwesterly, merging into the plains and drainage of the Santa Cruz River.
The valley is traversed from north to south by Arizona Route 286.
The major Baboquivari sky
island
range borders the valley on the west; the east is bordered by a series of mountain ranges, that have Nogales, Arizona
nestled in between at the United States-Mexico border. Two wilderness areas lie to the west of the valley, the Coyote Mountains Wilderness
east of Kitt Peak Observatory, and the Baboquivari Peak Wilderness
.
The center-(north) of the valley is at Baldy Peak (Sierrita Mountains), 31.8462°N 111.3351°W, (located in the southwest Black Hills (Sierrita Mountains)). Baldy peak's height is 4120 feet (1,256 m).
region of southeast Arizona
, extreme southwest New Mexico
, northern Sonora
and extreme northwest Chihuahua, Mexico, is the region at the northern limits of the western spine mountain of Mexico
, the Sierra Madre Occidental
-(Mother Mountains, West). The ranges were broken up by Basin and Range
faulting, and leaving wide areas of bajada
s or graben
-type valleys, sometimes with obvious horst
-type mountain ranges; even extreme volcanic cones can form on these horst boundaries, like the seven minor volcanoes at the northern end of the Mohawk Mountains
borders the southeast Altar Valley and covers half the valleys length. Sasabe
, the U.S.-Mexico border town is surrounded by the refuge, including to the west.
The lower elevation Cerro Colorado
range borders the refuge to the northeast, the similar San Luis Mountains
to the southeast.
On maps of Arizona
, in the Altar Valley region, the United States-Mexico border changes direction to the northwest to end at the Colorado River
at Yuma, Arizona
. This change in border direction mostly follows a water divide
change, separating drainage basin
s from each country; there are minor regional exceptions along the border to Yuma and the California
border. Southern Arizona's desert waters flow north-northwest mostly ultimately ending at the Gila River
which starts in extreme southwestern New Mexico
and ends at Yuma, bordering California. Mexico's border drainage is into the Gran Desierto de Altar
, with two rivers of northern Sonora
draining to the southwest into the northern Gulf of California
-(Sea of Cortez). These two areas of southwest Arizona and northwest Sorona are most inhospitable and dangerous in summer months. (The Barry M. Goldwater Air Force Range
uses the Arizona region because of its remoteness and yeartime usage abilities by flight.)
----
Baldy Peak
Avra Valley, Arizona
Avra Valley is a census-designated place in Pima County, Arizona, United States. The population was 5,038 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Avra Valley is located at ....
west of the Tucson Mountains
Tucson Mountains
The Tucson Mountains are a minor mountain range west of Tucson, Arizona. The Tucson Mountains, including Wasson Peak, are one of four notable mountain ranges surrounding the Tucson valley...
. It is delimited by Arizona State Route 86, from east-to-west on the north separating it from Avra Valley which then trends northwesterly, merging into the plains and drainage of the Santa Cruz River.
The valley is traversed from north to south by Arizona Route 286.
The major Baboquivari sky
Madrean sky islands
The Madrean Sky Islands are enclaves of Madrean pine-oak woodlands, found at higher elevations in a complex of small mountain ranges in southern and southeastern Arizona, southwestern New Mexico, and northwestern Mexico. The sky islands are surrounded at lower elevations by the Sonoran and...
island
Sky island
Sky islands are mountains that are isolated by surrounding lowlands of a dramatically different environment, a situation which, in combination with the altitudinal zonation of ecosystems, has significant implications for natural habitats. Endemism, vertical migration, and relict populations are...
range borders the valley on the west; the east is bordered by a series of mountain ranges, that have Nogales, Arizona
Nogales, Arizona
Nogales is a city in Santa Cruz County, Arizona, United States. The population was 21,017 at the 2010 census. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 20,833. The city is the county seat of Santa Cruz County....
nestled in between at the United States-Mexico border. Two wilderness areas lie to the west of the valley, the Coyote Mountains Wilderness
Coyote Mountains Wilderness (Arizona)
The Coyote Mountains Wilderness of Arizona is part of the Coyote Mountains of southern Arizona in the center of Pima County. The wilderness lies about 40 mi southwest of Tucson, in the northwest of the Altar Valley. Kitt Peak is 4 mi WSW....
east of Kitt Peak Observatory, and the Baboquivari Peak Wilderness
Baboquivari Peak Wilderness
The Baboquivari Peak Wilderness is a wilderness area in the U.S. state of Arizona. It is located in the Baboquivari Mountain Range southwest of Tucson, Arizona. It is administered by the Bureau of Land Management. The United States Congress designated the Baboquivari Peak Wilderness in 1990. It...
.
The center-(north) of the valley is at Baldy Peak (Sierrita Mountains), 31.8462°N 111.3351°W, (located in the southwest Black Hills (Sierrita Mountains)). Baldy peak's height is 4120 feet (1,256 m).
Madrean Sky Islands
The Madrean Sky IslandMadrean sky islands
The Madrean Sky Islands are enclaves of Madrean pine-oak woodlands, found at higher elevations in a complex of small mountain ranges in southern and southeastern Arizona, southwestern New Mexico, and northwestern Mexico. The sky islands are surrounded at lower elevations by the Sonoran and...
region of southeast Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, extreme southwest New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, northern Sonora
Sonora
Sonora officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 72 municipalities; the capital city is Hermosillo....
and extreme northwest Chihuahua, Mexico, is the region at the northern limits of the western spine mountain of Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, the Sierra Madre Occidental
Sierra Madre Occidental
The Sierra Madre Occidental is a mountain range in western Mexico.-Setting:The range runs north to south, from just south of the Sonora–Arizona border southeast through eastern Sonora, western Chihuahua, Sinaloa, Durango, Zacatecas, Nayarit, Jalisco, Aguascalientes to Guanajuato, where it joins...
-(Mother Mountains, West). The ranges were broken up by Basin and Range
Basin and Range
The Basin and Range Province is a vast physiographic region defined by a unique topographic expression. Basin and Range topography is characterized by abrupt changes in elevation, alternating between narrow faulted mountain chains and flat arid valleys or basins...
faulting, and leaving wide areas of bajada
Bajada
Bajada may refer to:*Bajada a festival common to the Canary islands* Bajada, a compound Alluvial fan* La Bajada, an escarpment of the Caja del Rio, New Mexico, USA* Clint Bajada , Maltese TV and radio personality...
s or graben
Graben
In geology, a graben is a depressed block of land bordered by parallel faults. Graben is German for ditch. Graben is used for both the singular and plural....
-type valleys, sometimes with obvious horst
Horst
Horst is a Germanic word meaning "eagle's nest" and "man from the forest" . It may refer to:-Given name:* Horst * Horst Buchholz, a German actor* Horst Bulau, a Canadian ski jumper...
-type mountain ranges; even extreme volcanic cones can form on these horst boundaries, like the seven minor volcanoes at the northern end of the Mohawk Mountains
Mohawk Mountains
The Mohawk Mountains is a mountain range in the northwest Sonoran Desert of southwest Arizona. It abuts the western Gila River valley to the north, and is located in southern Yuma County, Arizona and is part of an eleven mountain range–three valley region...
Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge
The Buenos Aires National Wildlife RefugeBuenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge
Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge provides of habitat for threatened and endangered plants and animals. The refuge was established in 1985.-Natural history:...
borders the southeast Altar Valley and covers half the valleys length. Sasabe
Sasabe, Arizona
Sasabe is a small unincorporated border community in the Altar Valley of southern Pima County, Arizona, United States. It hosts a little-used United States–Mexico border crossing...
, the U.S.-Mexico border town is surrounded by the refuge, including to the west.
The lower elevation Cerro Colorado
Cerro Colorado Mountains
The Cerro Colorado Mountains are a low mountain range in Pima County, Arizona, USA. The highest point of the range is at the Colorado Benchmark , at ....
range borders the refuge to the northeast, the similar San Luis Mountains
San Luis Mountains
The San Luis Mountains are a small, lower elevation mountain range of central-southern Pima County Arizona adjacent the U.S.-Mexico border, northeast of Sasabe, Arizona–Sasabe, Sonora....
to the southeast.
Table of mountain ranges
The mountains to the west and east associated with the Altar Valley.On maps of Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, in the Altar Valley region, the United States-Mexico border changes direction to the northwest to end at the Colorado River
Colorado River
The Colorado River , is a river in the Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, approximately long, draining a part of the arid regions on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. The watershed of the Colorado River covers in parts of seven U.S. states and two Mexican states...
at Yuma, Arizona
Yuma, Arizona
Yuma is a city in and the county seat of Yuma County, Arizona, United States. It is located in the southwestern corner of the state, and the population of the city was 77,515 at the 2000 census, with a 2008 Census Bureau estimated population of 90,041....
. This change in border direction mostly follows a water divide
Water divide
A drainage divide, water divide, divide or watershed is the line separating neighbouring drainage basins...
change, separating drainage basin
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
s from each country; there are minor regional exceptions along the border to Yuma and the California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
border. Southern Arizona's desert waters flow north-northwest mostly ultimately ending at the Gila River
Gila River
The Gila River is a tributary of the Colorado River, 650 miles long, in the southwestern states of New Mexico and Arizona.-Description:...
which starts in extreme southwestern New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
and ends at Yuma, bordering California. Mexico's border drainage is into the Gran Desierto de Altar
Gran Desierto de Altar
The Gran Desierto de Altar is one of the major portions of the Sonoran Desert of Mexico, including the only active erg dune region in North America. It extends across much of the northern border of the Gulf of California, reaching more than 100 kilometers east to west, and over 50 km north to...
, with two rivers of northern Sonora
Sonora
Sonora officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 72 municipalities; the capital city is Hermosillo....
draining to the southwest into the northern Gulf of California
Gulf of California
The Gulf of California is a body of water that separates the Baja California Peninsula from the Mexican mainland...
-(Sea of Cortez). These two areas of southwest Arizona and northwest Sorona are most inhospitable and dangerous in summer months. (The Barry M. Goldwater Air Force Range
Barry M. Goldwater Air Force Range
The Barry M. Goldwater Air Force Range is a bombing range in the U.S. state of Arizona that runs along the Mexican border....
uses the Arizona region because of its remoteness and yeartime usage abilities by flight.)
| West Mtns North |
Valleys | East Mtns North |
East Mtns North |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aguirre Valley | (Marana) (el 1991 ft) Avra Valley Avra Valley, Arizona Avra Valley is a census-designated place in Pima County, Arizona, United States. The population was 5,038 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Avra Valley is located at .... |
Avra Valley Avra Valley, Arizona Avra Valley is a census-designated place in Pima County, Arizona, United States. The population was 5,038 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Avra Valley is located at .... –(Tucson) (& Tucson Mountains Tucson Mountains The Tucson Mountains are a minor mountain range west of Tucson, Arizona. The Tucson Mountains, including Wasson Peak, are one of four notable mountain ranges surrounding the Tucson valley... ) |
(Tucson (el 2437 ft)) |
| AZ route 86 | AZ route 86 & AZ route 286 Robles Junction, AZ Robles Junction, Arizona Robles Junction is an unincorporated community in Pima County, Arizona, United States. Robles Junction is located at the intersection of Arizona State Route 86 and Arizona State Route 286 southwest of Tucson.... (el 2543 ft) |
AZ route 86 | AZ route 86 |
| Coyote Mountains, Wilderness Coyote Mountains Wilderness (Arizona) The Coyote Mountains Wilderness of Arizona is part of the Coyote Mountains of southern Arizona in the center of Pima County. The wilderness lies about 40 mi southwest of Tucson, in the northwest of the Altar Valley. Kitt Peak is 4 mi WSW.... , & Kitt Peak Kitt Peak Kitt Peak is a mountain in the U.S. state of Arizona. It is the location of the Kitt Peak National Observatory. The radio telescope at the Observatory is one of ten dishes comprising the Very Long Baseline Array .... |
Altar Valley | Sierrita Mountains | xxxxxx |
| Quinlan Mountains | Altar Valley | Cerro Colorado Mountains Cerro Colorado Mountains The Cerro Colorado Mountains are a low mountain range in Pima County, Arizona, USA. The highest point of the range is at the Colorado Benchmark , at .... Tumacacori Mountains |
xxxxxx (Santa Rita Mountains Santa Rita Mountains The Santa Rita Mountains, located about 65 km southeast of Tucson, Arizona, extend 42 km from north to south, then trending southeast. They merge again southeastwards into the Patagonia Mountains, trending northwest by southeast... ) |
| Baboquivari Mountains | Altar Valley | Tumacacori Mountains | Santa Rita Mountains Santa Rita Mountains The Santa Rita Mountains, located about 65 km southeast of Tucson, Arizona, extend 42 km from north to south, then trending southeast. They merge again southeastwards into the Patagonia Mountains, trending northwest by southeast... |
| Baboquivari Mountains | Altar Valley | Tumacacori Mountains | Santa Rita Mountains Santa Rita Mountains The Santa Rita Mountains, located about 65 km southeast of Tucson, Arizona, extend 42 km from north to south, then trending southeast. They merge again southeastwards into the Patagonia Mountains, trending northwest by southeast... |
| Baboquivari Mountains | Altar Valley | Atascosa Mountains Atascosa Mountains The Atascosa Mountains are a small mountain range of western Santa Cruz County, Arizona. It is sandwiched between the larger Tumacacori Mountains to the north, and a small east-west border range to the south, the Pajarito Mountains; the Pajaritos are on the U.S.-Mexico border and abut the Sierra La... |
Patagonia Mountains Patagonia Mountains The Patagonia Mountains is a 15 mile long mountain range south of the Santa Rita Mountains. Sonoita Creek flows in the valley north of the Patagonias. Both ranges are east of the Santa Cruz River Valley... |
| Baboquivari Mountains | Altar Valley | Pajarito Mountains Pajarito Mountains The Pajarito Mountains are a small mountain range of western Santa Cruz County, Arizona. The range is adjacent the Atascosa Mountains at its north, with both ranges in the center of a north-south sequence of ranges called the Tumacacori Highlands... |
Patagonia Mountains Patagonia Mountains The Patagonia Mountains is a 15 mile long mountain range south of the Santa Rita Mountains. Sonoita Creek flows in the valley north of the Patagonias. Both ranges are east of the Santa Cruz River Valley... |
| U.S.-Mex-border | Sasabe, Arizona Sasabe, Arizona Sasabe is a small unincorporated border community in the Altar Valley of southern Pima County, Arizona, United States. It hosts a little-used United States–Mexico border crossing... (el 3566 ft) |
U.S.-Mex-border | U.S.-Mex-border |
| xxx-lowlands-xxx | Altar Valley (water divide Water divide A drainage divide, water divide, divide or watershed is the line separating neighbouring drainage basins... ) |
Sierra La Esmeralda Sierra La Esmeralda The Sierra La Esmeralda range, are a mountain range in northern Sonora, Mexico at the northern region of the Sierra Madre Occidental cordillera... |
Sierra Madre Occidental Sierra Madre Occidental The Sierra Madre Occidental is a mountain range in western Mexico.-Setting:The range runs north to south, from just south of the Sonora–Arizona border southeast through eastern Sonora, western Chihuahua, Sinaloa, Durango, Zacatecas, Nayarit, Jalisco, Aguascalientes to Guanajuato, where it joins... (north) |
| West Mtns South |
Valleys | East Mtns South |
East Mtns South |
External links
Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge----
Baldy Peak