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Exploring the beautiful nature of California


California Nature: White Mountains


The White Mountains of California are a triangular fault block mountain range facing the Sierra Nevada across the upper Owens Valley. They extend for approximately 60 miles as a greatly elevated plateau, narrowing to a point at the north, with elevations generally increasing south to north. The range's broad southern end is near the community of Big Pine, where Westgard Pass and Deep Springs Valley separate it from the Inyo Mountains. The narrow northern end is at Montgomery Pass, where U.S. Route 6 crosses. The Fish Lake Valley lies east of the range; the southeast part of the mountains are separated from the Silver Peak Range by block faulting across the Furnace Creek Fault Zone, forming a feeder valley to Fish Lake Valley. A bristlecone pine in the southern part of the range is the oldest known living tree in the world, about 4,700 years old, nicknamed Methuselah after the biblical figure who is said to have lived 969 years. Pine nuts from Piñon pine stands were harvested as a winter staple food by Paiute Indians whose descendants still live in adjacent valleys.
one of the world's oldest trees the lecone pine in only found in the White Mountains The range lies within the eastern section of the Inyo National Forest. Ecologically, the White Mountains are like the other ranges in the Basin and Range Province; they are dry, but the upper slopes from 9,200 to 11,500 feet hold open subalpine forests of Great Basin Bristlecone Pine on permeable dolomite and certain granite substrates and Limber pine on less permeable rocky substrates. Middle slopes from 6500 to 8200 feet have somewhat denser stands of Piñon pine and Utah juniper.

These upper and lower conifer zones are often separated by a zone of Mountain-mahogany brush. Various subspecies of sagebrush  extend from surrounding valleys to the lower alpine zone. Fauna include two herds of Bighorn Sheep, mule deer, marmots and feral horses. Permanent streams have no native fish, but there are naturalized populations of trout including rare Paiute cutthroat trout which is protected from angling. Birds include Clark's Nutcracker and other Nutcracker Corvidae which eat and cache pine nuts.
The highest point in the range is White Mountain Peak, which at 14,252 feet is the third-highest summit in California. This peak is actually an extinct volcano rising about 1,600 feet above the plateau surface. The summit is composed of Mesozoic meta-volcanic rock, lava lifted and melted by rising granite. The volcano itself is long since gone. The White Mountains are the highest range completely inside the Great Basin, although the adjacent Sierra Nevada Range along the basin's western edge has two higher summits.

Cattle from ranches in surrounding valleys are still grazed under permit as high as the alpine zone. Historically sheep were also grazed in large numbers, introducing diseases from which the native Bighorn Sheep populations are still slowly recovering. Before European colonization of surrounding valleys in the mid 19th century, Paiute Indians occupied summer hunting camps up to about 13,100 feet, leaving ruins of archeological interest.
ancient bristlecone pine tree seen in the White Mountains As Pacific storms move eastward, the Sierra simply takes the majority of moisture, leaving the White Mountains with strong dry winds. Annual precipitation is less than 12 inches, most of which arrives as snow in winter. On a summer's day the amount of precipital moisture in the air is about half a millimeter, the lowest ever recorded anywhere on earth. But these very hardships contribute to these mountains bringing forth trees so beautiful, so ancient they surpass the majestic Giant Sequoia of the Sierra by more than a millennium! 

The dry climate and high altitude make this region a rare environment. The rapid changes in elevation create abrupt habitat and species changes. The soil quality is poor, and at its poorest in the alpine zone. This factor combined with a short growing season, results in sparse and delicate flora. Recovery from disturbance is slow, said to take more than 100 years! This is truly an area that one must be careful in preserving.
The geologic makeup of the White Mountains is of quartzitic sandstone and granite bedrock. A large part of the soils on these slopes have been swept away by the extreme conditions. Also present are extensive outcrops of dolomite (limestone) a very ancient rock first laid down under water 500 million years ago, then slowly uplifted through time. Numerous fossils of this period can be found here. It has been speculated that one could have walked chest deep across the early Paleozoic sea located in the region at that time. The dolomite is low in nutrients but of a higher moisture content than the surrounding sandstone. Because these soil types inhibit the growth of other plants, they provide a competition-free arena for the slow-growing bristlecone pines.

The spectacular panoramic views of the Sierra Nevada along with the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest are the principal attractions for tourists. Due to the lack of water (you must bring your own), camping and other recreational activities are light.
 
 
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