Chino Hills
Encyclopedia
The Chino Hills are a mountain range
on the border of Orange
, Los Angeles
, and San Bernardino
Counties, California
, with a small portion in Riverside County
. The Chino Hills State Park
preserves open space and habitat
in them.
and Peninsular Ranges
northwest from Santa Ana Canyon
to Brea Canyon, where the Puente Hills
lead both west and northeast. The only paved road crossing is State Route 142 through Carbon Canyon.
ecoregion
of the California Floristic Province
. The California native plants
here are in the chaparral
and oak woodland
plant communities, with remnant stands of native grasses of California.
was located 3 miles southwest of Chino Hills that was felt throughout Southern California
and felt as far east as Las Vegas
and as far south as San Diego
. It occurred at 11:42 am PDT
and caused structural damage to buildings, including to St. Jude Centers for Rehabilitation and Wellness and to the Pomona
City Hall. Water mains were ruptured in limited areas of Los Angeles
, and superficial damage was done to the facades of businesses and other buildings. Many businesses, including Wal-Mart
, reported damage to merchandise which was knocked to the floor.
There were reports of minor injuries but no fatalities.
s of Mission San Juan Capistrano
are now nesting in the Chino Hills. Thousands of the small birds, up from 'wintering' in Argentina
, have built their mud nests in the eaves of the Vellano Country Club, a community situated around a golf course
in the hills.
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...
on the border of Orange
Orange County, California
Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...
, Los Angeles
Los Angeles County, California
Los Angeles County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 9,818,605, making it the most populous county in the United States. Los Angeles County alone is more populous than 42 individual U.S. states...
, and San Bernardino
San Bernardino County, California
San Bernardino County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, the population was 2,035,210, up from 1,709,434 as of the 2000 census...
Counties, 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...
, with a small portion in Riverside County
Riverside County, California
Riverside County is a county in the U.S. state of California. One of 58 California counties, it covers in the southern part of the state, and stretches from Orange County to the Colorado River, which forms the state border with Arizona. The county derives its name from the city of Riverside,...
. The Chino Hills State Park
Chino Hills State Park
Chino Hills State Park is a state park of California, USA, in the Chino Hills, foothills of the Santa Ana Mountains. It is a critical link in the Chino–Puente Hills wildlife corridor, and a major botanical habitat reserve for resident and migrating wildlife....
preserves open space and habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
in them.
Geography
They continue the line of the Santa Ana MountainsSanta Ana Mountains
The Santa Ana Mountains are a short peninsular mountain range along the coast of Southern California in the United States. They extend for approximately 36 mi southeast of the Los Angeles Basin largely along the border between Orange and Riverside counties.- Geography :The range starts in the...
and Peninsular Ranges
Peninsular Ranges
The Peninsular Ranges are a group of mountain ranges, in the Pacific Coast Ranges, which stretch from southern California in the United States to the southern tip of Mexico's Baja California peninsula; they are part of the North American Coast Ranges that run along the Pacific coast from Alaska...
northwest from Santa Ana Canyon
Santa Ana Canyon
Santa Ana Canyon is where the Santa Ana River passes between the Santa Ana Mountains and the Chino Hills, near the intersection of Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino Counties. It receives particularly strong Santa Ana winds in comparison to surrounding areas, hence the name.-History:Originally,...
to Brea Canyon, where the Puente Hills
Puente Hills
The Puente Hills is a chain of hills, one of the lower Transverse Ranges, in an unincorporated area in eastern Los Angeles County, California.-Geography:...
lead both west and northeast. The only paved road crossing is State Route 142 through Carbon Canyon.
Flora
The Chino Hills are in the California chaparral and woodlandsCalifornia chaparral and woodlands
The California chaparral and woodlands is a terrestrial ecoregion of lower northern, central, and southern California and northwestern Baja California , located on the west coast of North America...
ecoregion
Ecoregion
An ecoregion , sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than an ecozone and larger than an ecosystem. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblages of natural...
of the California Floristic Province
California Floristic Province
The California Floristic Province is a floristic province with a Mediterranean climate located on the Pacific Coast of North America with a distinctive flora that bears similarities to floras found in other regions experiencing a winter rainfall, summer drought climate like the Mediterranean...
. The California native plants
California native plants
California native plants are plants that existed in California prior to the arrival of European explorers and colonists in the late 18th century...
here are in the chaparral
Chaparral
Chaparral is a shrubland or heathland plant community found primarily in the U.S. state of California and in the northern portion of the Baja California peninsula, Mexico...
and oak woodland
California oak woodland
California oak woodland is a plant community found throughout the California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion of California in the United States and northwestern Baja California in Mexico...
plant communities, with remnant stands of native grasses of California.
Chino Hills earthquake
On July 29, 2008, a magnitude 5.5 earthquakeEarthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
was located 3 miles southwest of Chino Hills that was felt throughout Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
and felt as far east as Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
and as far south as San Diego
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
. It occurred at 11:42 am PDT
Pacific Time Zone
The Pacific Time Zone observes standard time by subtracting eight hours from Coordinated Universal Time . The clock time in this zone is based on the mean solar time of the 120th meridian west of the Greenwich Observatory. During daylight saving time, its time offset is UTC-7.In the United States...
and caused structural damage to buildings, including to St. Jude Centers for Rehabilitation and Wellness and to the Pomona
Pomona, California
-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Pomona had a population of 149,058, a slight decline from the 2000 census population. The population density was 6,491.2 people per square mile...
City Hall. Water mains were ruptured in limited areas of Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, and superficial damage was done to the facades of businesses and other buildings. Many businesses, including Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
, reported damage to merchandise which was knocked to the floor.
There were reports of minor injuries but no fatalities.
Fauna
The famed Cliff SwallowCliff Swallow
The Cliff Swallow is a member of the passerine bird family Hirundinidae — the swallows and martins.It breeds in North America, and is migratory, wintering in western South America from Venezuela southwards to northeast Argentina...
s of Mission San Juan Capistrano
Mission San Juan Capistrano
Mission San Juan Capistrano was a Spanish mission in Southern California, located in present-day San Juan Capistrano. It was founded on All Saints Day November 1, 1776, by Spanish Catholics of the Franciscan Order...
are now nesting in the Chino Hills. Thousands of the small birds, up from 'wintering' in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, have built their mud nests in the eaves of the Vellano Country Club, a community situated around a golf course
Golf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
in the hills.
Adjacent ranges
- Puente HillsPuente HillsThe Puente Hills is a chain of hills, one of the lower Transverse Ranges, in an unincorporated area in eastern Los Angeles County, California.-Geography:...
- San Rafael HillsSan Rafael HillsThe San Rafael Hills are a mountain range in Los Angeles County, California. They are one of the lower Transverse Ranges, and are parallel to and below the San Gabriel Mountains to the south, adjacent to the San Gabriel Valley overlooking the Los Angeles Basin.-Geography:The Hills contain all or...
- San Joaquin HillsSan Joaquin HillsThe San Joaquin Hills are a set of low hills in coastal Orange County, California. They extend in a northwest-southeast direction, starting in the northwest in Newport Beach at the southern edge of the Los Angeles Basin, and extending southeast to San Juan Capistrano.-Geography and habitats:Named...
- Santa Ana MountainsSanta Ana MountainsThe Santa Ana Mountains are a short peninsular mountain range along the coast of Southern California in the United States. They extend for approximately 36 mi southeast of the Los Angeles Basin largely along the border between Orange and Riverside counties.- Geography :The range starts in the...
- San Gabriel MountainsSan Gabriel MountainsThe San Gabriel Mountains Range is located in northern Los Angeles County and western San Bernardino County, California, United States. The mountain range lies between the Los Angeles Basin and the Mojave Desert, with Interstate 5 to the west and Interstate 15 to the east...
- San Bernardino MountainsSan Bernardino MountainsThe San Bernardino Mountains are a short transverse mountain range north and east of San Bernardino in Southern California in the United States. The mountains run for approximately 60 miles east-west on the southern edge of the Mojave Desert in southwestern San Bernardino County, north of the...