Tonopah Desert
Encyclopedia
The Tonopah Desert is a small desert
plain
s region west of Phoenix, Arizona
. It is adjacent north of Interstate 10 and lies at the southwest intersection of the Hassayampa River
with the Gila River
. The Tonopah Desert is also just north of the Gila Bend Mountains
massif
which create the Gila Bend
of the river.
The Tonopah Desert is adjacent northwest of the small Palo Verde Hills on Centennial Wash.
are northeast with the Hummingbird Springs Wilderness
in its north-northwest. It borders the 'low elevation mountain valley' with the Big Horn Mountains to the west. The Big Horn Mountains Wilderness comprise most of the Big Horn's. The desert is bordered east by other mountain foothills on the west border of the Hassayampa River.
The Tonopah Desert also lies between two plains: the narrow southeast ridgeline of the Belmont Mountains and the Hassayampa Plain are northeast. The west and southwest of the Tonopah Desert is connected to the southeast section of the large Harquahala Plain, northwest-southeast trending, the same lineage as the Centennial and Bouse Wash
es which drain the named plains, mountains, and the desert, (about twenty landforms in the region).
The closest city to the Tonopah Desert is Tonopah, Arizona
located in the center-southwest of the region, elevation 1122 feet (342 m).
passes east-southeasterly through the south border of the Tonopah Desert; Tonopah, AZ is at the west on I-10. South of the Interstate, and only 5 mi due-southwest of Tonopah is Wintersburg, Arizona
the site of the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station
.
From Interstate 10, unimproved roads go north into the desert, namely 355th Ave (west); the Sun Valley
Parkway is just east going to areas of northwest Phoenix-Glendale.
Desert
A desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than...
plain
Plain
In geography, a plain is land with relatively low relief, that is flat or gently rolling. Prairies and steppes are types of plains, and the archetype for a plain is often thought of as a grassland, but plains in their natural state may also be covered in shrublands, woodland and forest, or...
s region west of Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
. It is adjacent north of Interstate 10 and lies at the southwest intersection of the Hassayampa River
Hassayampa River
The Hassayampa River is a mostly underground river, the headwaters of which are just south of Prescott, Arizona, and flows mostly south towards Wickenburg entering the Gila River near Hassayampa, Arizona...
with 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:...
. The Tonopah Desert is also just north of the Gila Bend Mountains
Gila Bend Mountains
The Gila Bend Mountains are a 35-mile long mountain range of the north-central Sonoran Desert southwest of Phoenix, Arizona and in southwest Maricopa County....
massif
Massif
In geology, a massif is a section of a planet's crust that is demarcated by faults or flexures. In the movement of the crust, a massif tends to retain its internal structure while being displaced as a whole...
which create the Gila Bend
Gila Bend, Arizona
Gila Bend , founded in 1872, is a town in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. The town is named for an approximately 90-degree bend in the Gila River, which is close to but not precisely at the community's current location...
of the river.
The Tonopah Desert is adjacent northwest of the small Palo Verde Hills on Centennial Wash.
Description
The Tonopah Desert is mostly east-west trending, small, approximately 30 mi long, and lies at the plains of low elevation mountains north; the Belmont MountainsBelmont Mountains
The Belmont Mountains are a 25 mi long, arid, low elevation mountain range about 50 mi west of Phoenix, Arizona in the northern Sonoran Desert, north of the Gila River...
are northeast with the Hummingbird Springs Wilderness
Hummingbird Springs Wilderness
The Hummingbird Springs Wilderness is a wilderness administered by the Bureau of Land Management . The wilderness is located in the northwest of Maricopa County in northern regions of the central Sonoran Desert of Arizona....
in its north-northwest. It borders the 'low elevation mountain valley' with the Big Horn Mountains to the west. The Big Horn Mountains Wilderness comprise most of the Big Horn's. The desert is bordered east by other mountain foothills on the west border of the Hassayampa River.
The Tonopah Desert also lies between two plains: the narrow southeast ridgeline of the Belmont Mountains and the Hassayampa Plain are northeast. The west and southwest of the Tonopah Desert is connected to the southeast section of the large Harquahala Plain, northwest-southeast trending, the same lineage as the Centennial and Bouse Wash
Bouse Wash
Bouse Wash is one of the larger eastern-bank dry washes that enter the Colorado River in western Arizona.Bouse Wash is located on the north end of the La Posa Plain and drains into the area along the Colorado River occupied by the Colorado River Indian Reservation, south of Parker, Arizona...
es which drain the named plains, mountains, and the desert, (about twenty landforms in the region).
The closest city to the Tonopah Desert is Tonopah, Arizona
Tonopah, Arizona
Tonopah is a census-designated place in western Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, approximately 50 miles west of downtown Phoenix off Interstate 10...
located in the center-southwest of the region, elevation 1122 feet (342 m).
Access routes and the region
Interstate 10Interstate 10 in Arizona
In the U.S. state of Arizona, Interstate 10, the major east–west Interstate Highway in the southern United States, runs east from California, enters Arizona and continues through Phoenix and Tucson and exits at the border with New Mexico.-Route description:...
passes east-southeasterly through the south border of the Tonopah Desert; Tonopah, AZ is at the west on I-10. South of the Interstate, and only 5 mi due-southwest of Tonopah is Wintersburg, Arizona
Wintersburg, Arizona
Wintersburg is a census-designated place in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, located about 50 miles west of Phoenix, and 15 miles west of Buckeye along Interstate 10....
the site of the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station
Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station
The Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station is a nuclear power plant located in Wintersburg, Arizona, about 45 miles west of central Phoenix. It is the largest nuclear generation facility in the United States, averaging over 3.3 gigawatts of electrical power production in 2008 to serve...
.
From Interstate 10, unimproved roads go north into the desert, namely 355th Ave (west); the Sun Valley
Sun Valley, Arizona
Sun Valley is a populated place Northwest of Holbrook, Arizona along Interstate 40. It is located at in the Painted Desert and covers an area of 31.56 square miles....
Parkway is just east going to areas of northwest Phoenix-Glendale.