Cabeza Prieta Mountains
Encyclopedia
The Cabeza Prieta Mountains are a mountain range
in the northwestern Sonoran Desert
of southwest Arizona
. It is located in southern Yuma County
, Arizona.
The mountain range is amongst an eleven-mountain sequence of north-trending ranges and valleys in the hottest region of the Sonoran Desert. This southwestern Arizona region is on the northern perimeter of the Gran Desierto de Altar
. It includes the northern part of the Pinacate
volcanic field.
The Cabeza Prieta Mountains extend northwest–southeast about 24 miles. The highest peak is unnamed at 2832 feet (863 m); other peaks include: Cabeza Prieta Peak at 2559 feet (780 m); Buck Peak-(in north) at 2629 feet (801 m); and Sierra Arida in the south, at 1736 feet (529 m). A separate mountain outlier lies southwesterly, Tordillo Mountain at 2170 feet (661 m), adjacent to a primitive road paralleling the US-Mexico Border, called El Camino del Diablo. The range is about 36 miles southeast of the Mohawk Valley (Arizona)
, and Interstate 8 and is in the west-central Barry M. Goldwater Air Force Range
. The Cabeza Prieta Mountains comprise the entire western region of the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge
-- about twenty percent of its total area.
Mountain range
A mountain range is a single, large mass consisting of a succession of mountains or narrowly spaced mountain ridges, with or without peaks, closely related in position, direction, formation, and age; a component part of a mountain system or of a mountain chain...
in the northwestern Sonoran Desert
Sonoran Desert
The Sonoran Desert is a North American desert which straddles part of the United States-Mexico border and covers large parts of the U.S. states of Arizona and California and the northwest Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California, and Baja California Sur. It is one of the largest and hottest...
of southwest 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...
. It is located in southern Yuma County
Yuma County, Arizona
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*70.4% White*2.0% Black*1.6% Native American*1.2% Asian*0.2% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*3.8% Two or more races*20.8% Other races*59.7% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
, Arizona.
The mountain range is amongst an eleven-mountain sequence of north-trending ranges and valleys in the hottest region of the Sonoran Desert. This southwestern Arizona region is on the northern perimeter of 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...
. It includes the northern part of the Pinacate
Pinacate Peaks
The Pinacate Peaks are a volcanic group of volcanic peaks and cinder cones located mostly in the Mexican state of Sonora along the international border adjacent to the U.S...
volcanic field.
The Cabeza Prieta Mountains extend northwest–southeast about 24 miles. The highest peak is unnamed at 2832 feet (863 m); other peaks include: Cabeza Prieta Peak at 2559 feet (780 m); Buck Peak-(in north) at 2629 feet (801 m); and Sierra Arida in the south, at 1736 feet (529 m). A separate mountain outlier lies southwesterly, Tordillo Mountain at 2170 feet (661 m), adjacent to a primitive road paralleling the US-Mexico Border, called El Camino del Diablo. The range is about 36 miles southeast of the Mohawk Valley (Arizona)
Mohawk Valley (Arizona)
The Mohawk Valley is a valley in the lower regions of the western Gila River Valley in southwestern Arizona in the western Sonoran Desert....
, and Interstate 8 and is in the west-central 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....
. The Cabeza Prieta Mountains comprise the entire western region of the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge
Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge
The Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge is located in the Sonoran Desert in southwestern Arizona in the United States. The refuge, established in 1939 to protect Desert Bighorn Sheep, is located along of the U.S.-Mexico border, and covers 860,010 acres — larger than the land area of the state...
-- about twenty percent of its total area.
See also
- Cabeza Prieta WildernessCabeza Prieta WildernessThe Cabeza Prieta Wilderness is located in the Sonoran Desert in southwestern Arizona in the United States. Cabeza Prieta Wilderness Area has the distinction of being Arizona's largest Wilderness Area, encompassing nearly 93 percent of the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge and covering —larger...
- Valley and range sequence-Southern Yuma CountyValley and range sequence-Southern Yuma CountyThe Valley and range sequence-Southern Yuma County is a 3-Valley sequence of NW–by–SE trending block faulted valleys and mountains...
- List of mountain ranges of Yuma County, Arizona
- List of mountain ranges of Arizona