Moje DesertHayyikwiir Mat'aar (Mohe)Desierto de Moje (Spanish)Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes in Death ValleyLocation within North AmericaEcologyRealmNearcticBiomeDeserts and xeric shrublandsBorders List California montane chaparral and woodlandsColorado Plateau shrublandsGreat Basin DesertSonoran DesertSierra Nevada Bird species230[1]Mammal species98[1]GeographyArea81,000 km2 (31,000 sq mi)CountryUnited StatesStatesArizonaCaliforniaNevadaUtahCoordinates35°N 116°W / 35°N 116°W / 35; -116RiversColorado River, Moje RiverClimate typeCold desert (BWk) and hot desert (BWh)ConservationConservation statusRelatively Stable/Intact[2]
The Moje Desert (/moʊˈhɑːvi, mə-/ ⓘ;[3][4][5] Mohe: Hayikwiir Mat'aar;[6] Spanish: Desierto de Moje) is a desert in the rain shadow of the southern Sierra Nevada mountains and Transverse Ranges in the Southwestern United States.[7][2] Named after the indigenous Mohe people, it is located primarily in southeastern California and southwestern Nevada, with small portions extending into Arizona and Utah.[8][2]
The Moje Desert, together with the Sonoran, Chihuahuan, and Great Basin deserts, form a larger North American desert. Of these, the Moje is the smallest and driest. It displays typical basin and range topography, generally hing a pattern of a series of parallel mountain ranges and valleys. It is also the site of Death Valley, which is the lowest elevation in North America. The Moje Desert is often colloquially called the "high desert", as most of it lies between 2,000 and 4,000 feet (610 and 1,220 m). It supports a diversity of flora and fauna.
The 54,000 sq mi (140,000 km2) desert supports a number of human activities, including recreation, ranching, and military training.[9] The Moje Desert also contains various silver, tungsten, iron and gold deposits.[10]: 124
The spelling Moje originates from the Spanish language, while the spelling Mohe comes from modern English. Both are used today, although the Moje Tribal Nation officially uses the spelling Moje, which is a shortened form of Hamakhae, an endonym in their native language, meaning "beside the water".[11]
Geography[edit] The Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia) is endemic to the Moje Desert.[12]The Moje Desert is a desert bordered to the west by the Sierra Nevada mountain range and the California montane chaparral and woodlands, and to the south and east by the Sonoran Desert. The boundaries to the east of the Moje Desert are less distinctive than the other boundaries because there is no presence of an indicator species, such as the Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia),[13] which is endemic to the Moje Desert. The Moje Desert is distinguished from the Sonoran Desert and other deserts adjacent to it by its warm temperate climate, as well as flora and fauna such as ironwood (Olneya tesota), blue Palo Verde (Parkinsonia florida), chuparosa (Justicia californica), spiny menodora (Menodora spinescens), desert senna (Cassia armata), California dalea (Psorothamnus arborescens), California fan palm (Washingtonia filifera) and goldenhead (Acamptopappus shockleyi). Along with these other factors, these plants differentiate the Moje from the nearby Sonoran Desert.[2]
The Moje Desert is bordered by the San Andreas Fault to the southwest and the Garlock fault to the north. The mountains elevated along the length of the San Andreas fault provide a clear border between the Moje Desert and the coastal regions to the west.[10] The Garlock Fault separates the Moje Desert from the Sierra Nevada and Tehachapi mountains, which provide a natural border to the Moje Desert. There are also abundant alluvial fans, called bajadas, that form around the mountains within the Moje Desert and extend down toward the low-altitude basins.[13] These basins contain dried lake beds called playas, where water generally collects and evaporates, leing large volumes of salt. These playas include Rogers Dry Lake and China Lake. Dry lakes are a noted feature of the Moje landscape.[2] The Moje Desert is also home to the Devils Playground, about 40 miles (64 km) of dunes and salt flats going in a northwest-southeasterly direction. The Devil's Playground is a part of the Moje National Preserve and is between the town of Baker, California and the Providence Mountains. The Cronese Mountains are within the Devil's Playground.
There are very few surface rivers in the Moje Desert, but two major rivers generally flow underground. One is the intermittent Moje River, which begins in the San Bernardino mountains and disappears underground in the Moje Desert.[14] The other is the Amargosa River, which flows partly underground through the Moje Desert along a southward path.[15] The Manix, Moje, and the Little Moje lakes are large but shallow.[13]: 7 Soda Lake is the principal saline basin of the Moje Desert. Natural springs are typically rare throughout the Moje Desert,[13]: 19 but there are two notable springs, Ash Meadows and Oasis Valley. Ash Meadows is formed from several other springs, which draw from deep underground. Oasis Valley draws from the nearby Amargosa River.
Climate[edit]Extremes in temperatures throughout the seasons characterize the climate of the Moje Desert. Freezing temperatures and strong winds are not uncommon in the winter, as well as precipitation such as rain and snow in the mountains. In contrast, temperatures above 100 °F (38 °C) are not uncommon during the summer months.[16] It receives annual erage precipitation of 2 to 6 inches (51 to 152 mm), although regions at high altitudes such as the portion of the Moje Desert in the San Gabriel mountains may receive more rain.[10][8] Most precipitation in the Moje comes from Pacific cyclonic storms as they migrate eastwards from November to April.[10] Such storms generally bring rain and snow only in the mountainous regions, increasing aridity on the leeward slopes.[10]
During the late summer months, there is also the possibility of strong thunderstorms, which bring hey showers or cloudbursts. These storms can result in flash flooding.[17]
A powerful High Desert summer storm sweeps rapidly across the Moje Desert.The Moje Desert has not historically supported a fire regime because of low fuel loads and connectivity. However, in the last few decades, invasive annual plants such as some within the genera Bromus, Schismus and Brassica he facilitated fires by serving as a fuel bed. This has significantly altered many areas of the desert. At higher elevations, fire regimes are regular but infrequent.[18]
Climate data for Furnace Creek, Death Valley, California (1991–2020 normals,[a] extremes 1911–present). Elevation −190 ft (−58 m). Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Record high °F (°C) 90(32) 102(39) 108(42) 113(45) 122(50) 131(55) 134.1(56.7) 131(55) 125(52) 118(48) 98(37) 89(32) 134.1(56.7) Mean maximum °F (°C) 78.4(25.8) 85.1(29.5) 95.4(35.2) 106.0(41.1) 113.6(45.3) 122.0(50.0) 125.9(52.2) 123.4(50.8) 118.1(47.8) 106.2(41.2) 90.0(32.2) 77.8(25.4) 126.7(52.6) Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 67.2(19.6) 73.7(23.2) 82.6(28.1) 91.0(32.8) 100.7(38.2) 111.1(43.9) 117.4(47.4) 115.9(46.6) 107.7(42.1) 93.3(34.1) 77.4(25.2) 65.6(18.7) 92.0(33.3) Daily mean °F (°C) 54.9(12.7) 61.3(16.3) 69.8(21.0) 77.9(25.5) 87.8(31.0) 97.5(36.4) 104.2(40.1) 102.3(39.1) 93.4(34.1) 78.9(26.1) 64.0(17.8) 53.4(11.9) 78.8(26.0) Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 42.5(5.8) 49.0(9.4) 57.1(13.9) 64.8(18.2) 75.0(23.9) 84.0(28.9) 91.0(32.8) 88.7(31.5) 79.1(26.2) 64.4(18.0) 50.5(10.3) 41.1(5.1) 65.6(18.7) Mean minimum °F (°C) 30.5(−0.8) 36.1(2.3) 42.8(6.0) 49.8(9.9) 58.5(14.7) 67.9(19.9) 78.3(25.7) 75.3(24.1) 65.4(18.6) 49.5(9.7) 35.9(2.2) 29.0(−1.7) 28.0(−2.2) Record low °F (°C) 15(−9) 20(−7) 26(−3) 35(2) 42(6) 49(9) 62(17) 65(18) 41(5) 32(0) 24(−4) 19(−7) 15(−9) Average precipitation inches (mm) 0.37(9.4) 0.52(13) 0.25(6.4) 0.10(2.5) 0.03(0.76) 0.05(1.3) 0.10(2.5) 0.10(2.5) 0.20(5.1) 0.12(3.0) 0.10(2.5) 0.26(6.6) 2.20(56) Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) 2.4 2.9 2.0 1.1 0.9 0.3 1.1 0.9 0.8 1.1 0.9 1.6 16.0 Mean monthly sunshine hours 217 226 279 330 372 390 403 372 330 310 210 186 3,625 Source: NOAA[19][20] Climate data for Las Vegas, Nevada (1991–2020 normals,[b] extremes 1937–present) Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Record high °F (°C) 77(25) 87(31) 92(33) 99(37) 109(43) 117(47) 117(47) 116(47) 114(46) 103(39) 87(31) 78(26) 117(47) Mean maximum °F (°C) 68.7(20.4) 74.2(23.4) 84.3(29.1) 93.6(34.2) 101.8(38.8) 110.1(43.4) 112.9(44.9) 110.3(43.5) 105.0(40.6) 94.6(34.8) 80.5(26.9) 67.9(19.9) 113.6(45.3) Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 58.5(14.7) 62.9(17.2) 71.1(21.7) 78.5(25.8) 88.5(31.4) 99.4(37.4) 104.5(40.3) 102.8(39.3) 94.9(34.9) 81.2(27.3) 67.1(19.5) 56.9(13.8) 80.5(26.9) Daily mean °F (°C) 49.5(9.7) 53.5(11.9) 60.8(16.0) 67.7(19.8) 77.3(25.2) 87.6(30.9) 93.2(34.0) 91.7(33.2) 83.6(28.7) 70.4(21.3) 57.2(14.0) 48.2(9.0) 70.1(21.2) Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 40.5(4.7) 44.1(6.7) 50.5(10.3) 56.9(13.8) 66.1(18.9) 75.8(24.3) 82.0(27.8) 80.6(27.0) 72.4(22.4) 59.6(15.3) 47.3(8.5) 39.6(4.2) 59.6(15.3) Mean minimum °F (°C) 29.8(−1.2) 32.9(0.5) 38.7(3.7) 45.2(7.3) 52.8(11.6) 62.2(16.8) 72.9(22.7) 70.8(21.6) 60.8(16.0) 47.4(8.6) 35.2(1.8) 29.0(−1.7) 27.4(−2.6) Record low °F (°C) 8(−13) 16(−9) 19(−7) 31(−1) 38(3) 48(9) 56(13) 54(12) 43(6) 26(−3) 15(−9) 11(−12) 8(−13) Average precipitation inches (mm) 0.56(14) 0.80(20) 0.42(11) 0.20(5.1) 0.07(1.8) 0.04(1.0) 0.38(9.7) 0.32(8.1) 0.32(8.1) 0.32(8.1) 0.30(7.6) 0.45(11) 4.18(106) Average snowfall inches (cm) 0.0(0.0) 0.0(0.0) 0.0(0.0) 0.0(0.0) 0.0(0.0) 0.0(0.0) 0.0(0.0) 0.0(0.0) 0.0(0.0) 0.0(0.0) 0.0(0.0) 0.2(0.51) 0.2(0.51) Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) 3.1 4.1 2.8 1.6 1.1 0.4 2.5 2.2 1.8 1.7 1.5 3.0 25.8 Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.2 Average relative humidity (%) 45.1 39.6 33.1 25.0 21.3 16.5 21.1 25.6 25.0 28.8 37.2 45.0 30.3 Average dew point °F (°C) 22.1(−5.5) 23.7(−4.6) 23.9(−4.5) 24.1(−4.4) 28.2(−2.1) 30.9(−0.6) 40.6(4.8) 44.1(6.7) 37.0(2.8) 30.4(−0.9) 25.3(−3.7) 22.3(−5.4) 29.4(−1.5) Mean monthly sunshine hours 245.2 246.7 314.6 346.1 388.1 401.7 390.9 368.5 337.1 304.4 246.0 236.0 3,825.3 Percentage possible sunshine 79 81 85 88 89 92 88 88 91 87 80 78 86 Source: NOAA (relative humidity, dew point and sun 1961–1990)[21][22][23] Climate data for Searchlight, Nevada. (Elevation 3,550 ft (1,080 m)) Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Record high °F (°C) 77(25) 81(27) 90(32) 94(34) 102(39) 110(43) 111(44) 110(43) 107(42) 98(37) 86(30) 75(24) 111(44) Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 53.7(12.1) 58.4(14.7) 65.0(18.3) 73.1(22.8) 82.5(28.1) 92.7(33.7) 97.6(36.4) 95.4(35.2) 89.0(31.7) 77.0(25.0) 63.6(17.6) 54.4(12.4) 75.2(24.0) Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 35.6(2.0) 38.3(3.5) 41.8(5.4) 48.0(8.9) 55.9(13.3) 64.8(18.2) 71.4(21.9) 69.6(20.9) 63.9(17.7) 53.9(12.2) 43.0(6.1) 36.4(2.4) 51.9(11.1) Record low °F (°C) 7(−14) 11(−12) 20(−7) 27(−3) 30(−1) 40(4) 52(11) 51(11) 41(5) 23(−5) 15(−9) 8(−13) 7(−14) Average precipitation inches (mm) 0.92(23) 0.96(24) 0.77(20) 0.40(10) 0.20(5.1) 0.11(2.8) 0.91(23) 1.08(27) 0.61(15) 0.52(13) 0.43(11) 0.79(20) 7.70(196) Source: The Western Regional Climate Center[24] Climate data for Mount Charleston Lodge, Nevada. (Elevation 7,420 ft (2,260 m)) Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Record high °F (°C) 70(21) 69(21) 73(23) 79(26) 86(30) 93(34) 98(37) 93(34) 90(32) 83(28) 79(26) 69(21) 98(37) Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 44.0(6.7) 43.4(6.3) 48.8(9.3) 54.8(12.7) 64.4(18.0) 74.1(23.4) 79.4(26.3) 78.2(25.7) 71.7(22.1) 61.4(16.3) 51.6(10.9) 44.3(6.8) 59.7(15.4) Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 19.2(−7.1) 19.8(−6.8) 23.5(−4.7) 28.2(−2.1) 36.4(2.4) 44.1(6.7) 52.0(11.1) 50.6(10.3) 43.5(6.4) 34.5(1.4) 26.0(−3.3) 19.4(−7.0) 33.1(0.6) Record low °F (°C) −11(−24) −15(−26) 1(−17) 7(−14) 16(−9) 17(−8) 31(−1) 30(−1) 17(−8) 9(−13) 1(−17) −18(−28) −18(−28) Average precipitation inches (mm) 2.83(72) 3.51(89) 1.92(49) 1.23(31) 0.70(18) 0.29(7.4) 2.13(54) 1.89(48) 1.69(43) 1.96(50) 1.31(33) 3.61(92) 23.09(586) Average snowfall inches (cm) 18.2(46) 29.3(74) 13.2(34) 8.3(21) 1.0(2.5) 0.2(0.51) 0(0) 0(0) 0(0) 1.6(4.1) 5.2(13) 20.0(51) 97.1(247) Source: The Western Regional Climate Center[25] Cities and regions[edit] Main article: List of cities in the Moje Desert For a description of the metropolitan areas of the Moje, see High Desert (California). Las Vegas is in the Moje Desert.While the Moje Desert is generally sparsely populated, it has increasingly become urbanized in recent years.[8][2] The metropolitan areas include Las Vegas, the largest urban area in the Moje and the largest urban area in Nevada with a population of about 2.3 million.[26] St. George, Utah, is the northeasternmost metropolitan area in the Moje, with a population of around 180,000 in 2020, and is located at the convergence of the Moje, Great Basin, and Colorado Plateau. The Los Angeles exurban area of Lancaster-Palmdale has more than 400,000 residents, and the Victorville area to its east (also known as Victor Valley) has around 550,000 residents.[8] Smaller cities or micropolitan areas in the Moje Desert include Helendale, Lake Hasu City, Kingman, Laughlin, Bullhead City, Pahrump, and Twentynine Palms. All he experienced rapid population growth since 1990. The California portion of the desert also contains Edwards Air Force Base and Nal Air Weapons Station China Lake, noted for experimental iation and weapons projects.[27][28]
The Moje Desert has several ghost towns. The most significant are the silver and copper-mining town of Calico, California, and the old railroad depot of Kelso, California. Some of the other ghost towns are more modern, created when U.S. Route 66 (and the lesser-known U.S. Route 91) was abandoned in for of the construction of Interstates. CA SR 14, Interstate 15, Interstate 40, CA SR 58, CA SR 138, US Route 95, and US Route 395 are the main highways that trerse the Moje Desert.[29]
Geology[edit] Main article: Geology of the Death Valley area Rock formations in Joshua Tree National ParkThe exposed geology of the Death Valley presents a diverse and complex set of at least 23 formations of sedimentary units, two major gaps in the geologic record called unconformities, and at least one distinct set of related formations geologists call a group. The oldest rocks in the area that now includes Death Valley National Park are extensively metamorphosed by intense heat and pressure and are at least 1700 million years old. These rocks were intruded by a mass of granite 1400 Ma (million years ago) and later uplifted and exposed to nearly 500 million years of erosion.[30]: 631
The rock that forms the Moje Desert was created under shallow water in the Precambrian,[13]: 21 [10]: 115 forming thick sequences of conglomerate, mudstone, and carbonate rock topped by stromatolites, and possibly glacial deposits from the hypothesized Snowball Earth event.[31]: 44 Rifting thinned huge roughly linear parts of the supercontinent Rodinia enough to allow sea water to invade and divide its landmass into component continents separated by narrow straits.[30]: 632 A passive margin developed on the edges of these new seas in the Death Valley region.[30]: 634 Carbonate banks formed on this part of the two margins only to be subsided as the continental crust thinned until it broke, giving birth to a new ocean basin. An accretion wedge of clastic sediment then started to accumulate at the base of the submerged precipice, entombing the region's first known fossils of complex life.
During the Paleozoic era, the area that is now the Moje was again likely submerged under a greater sea.[10]: 116 The passive margin switched to active margin in the early-to-mid Mesozoic when the Farallon Plate under the Pacific Ocean started to dive below the North American Plate, initiating a subduction zone; volcanoes and uplifting mountains were produced as a result.[30]: 635 Erosion over many millions of years formed a relatively featureless plain.
Stretching of the crust under western North America started around 16 Ma and is thought to be caused by upwelling from the subducted spreading-zone of the Farallon Plate. This process continues into the present and is thought to be responsible for producing the Basin and Range province. By 2 to 3 million years ago this province had spread to the Death Valley area, ripping it apart and giving birth to Death Valley, Panamint Valley and surrounding ranges. These valleys partially filled with sediment and, during colder periods during the current ice age, with lakes. Lake Manly was the largest of these lakes; it filled Death Valley during each glacial period from 240,000 years ago to 10,000 years ago. By 10,500 years ago these lakes were increasingly cut off from glacial melt from the Sierra Nevada, starving them of water and concentrating salts and minerals. The desert environment seen today developed after these lakes dried up.
The Moje Desert is a source of various minerals and metallic materials. Due to the climate, there is an accumulation of weathered bedrock and fine sand and silt, forming colluvium.[32] Deposits of gold, tungsten, and silver were heily exploited prior to the Second World War.[10]: 124 Deposits of copper, tin, lead-zinc, manganese, iron, and various radioactive substances are known to exist but he not been commercially mined.[10]: 124
Ecology[edit] Flora[edit]Flora of the Moje Desert consists of various endemic plant species, notably the Joshua Tree, a notable indicator species. There is more endemic flora in the Moje Desert than almost anywhere in the world.[2] Moje Desert flora is not a vegetation type, although the plants in the area he evolved in isolation because of the physical barriers of the Sierra Nevada and the Colorado Plateau. Predominant plants of the Moje Desert include all-scale (Atriplex polycarpa), creosote bush (Larrea tridentata), brittlebush (Encelia farinosa), desert holly (Atriplex hymenelytra), white burrobush (Hymenoclea salsola), and famously, the Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia). Additionally, the Moje Desert is also home to various species of cacti, such as silver cholla (Cylindropuntia echinocarpa), Moje prickly pear (O. erinacea), beertail cactus (O. basilaris), and many-headed barrel cactus (Homalocephala polycephala, syn. Echinocactus polycephalus). Less common but distinctive plants of the Moje Desert include ironwood (Olneya tesota), blue Palo Verde (Parkinsonia florida), chuparosa (Justicia californica), spiny menodora (Menodora spinescens), desert senna (Cassia armata), California dalea (Psorothamnus arborescens), and goldenhead (Acamptopappus shockleyi). The Moje Desert is generally abundant in winter annuals.[13]: 11 The plants of the Moje Desert generally correspond to individual geographic features, resulting in the formation of distinctive flora communities.[33]
A depiction of cassia armata, which is particularly characteristic of the Moje California Dalea, an indicator species of the Moje Desert Goldenhead (Acamptopappus shockleyi) an indicator species of the Moje Silver cholla (Opuntia echinocarpa), a common species of cacti in the Moje A creosote bush, which is common in the Moje Fauna[edit] A desert tortoiseNotable species of the Moje Desert include bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis), mountain lions (Puma concolor), black-tailed jackrabbits (Lepus californicus), and desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii).[2] Various other species are particularly common in the Moje Desert, such as the LeConte's thrasher (Toxostoma lecontei), banded gecko (Coleonyx variegatus), desert iguana (Dipsosaurus dorsalis), chuckwalla (Sauromalus obesus), and regal horned lizard (Phrynosoma solare).[2] Species of snake include the rosy boa (Lichanura trivirgata), Western patch-nosed snake (Salvadora hexalepis), and Moje rattlesnake (Crotalus scutulatus).[2] These species can also occur in the neighboring Sonoran and Great Basin deserts.
The animal species of the Moje Desert he generally fewer endemics than its flora. However, endemic fauna of the Moje Desert include Kelso Dunes Jerusalem cricket (Ammopelmatus kelsoensis), the Kelso Dunes shieldback katydid (Eremopedes kelsoensis), the Mohe ground squirrel (Spermophilus mohensis) and Amargosa vole (Microtus californicus scirpensis).[34] The Moje fringe-toed lizard (Uma scoparia) is not endemic, but almost completely limited to the Moje Desert. There are also aquatic species that are found nowhere else,[35] such as the Devils Hole pupfish, limited to one hot spring near Death Valley.[36]
In society[edit] History[edit]Before the European colonization of North America, tribes of Native Americans, such as the Mohe, were hunter-gatherers living in the Moje Desert.[37]
European explorers started exploring the deserts beginning in the 18th century. Francisco Garcés, a Franciscan friar, was the first explorer of the Moje Desert in 1776.[38] Garcés recorded information about the original inhabitants of the deserts.
Later, as American interests expanded into California, American explorers started probing the California deserts. Jedediah Smith treled through the Moje Desert in 1826, finally reaching the San Gabriel Mission.[39][40]
Human development[edit] STS-126 The Space Shuttle Endeour mounted atop its modified Boeing 747 carrier aircraft flies over California's Moje Desert on its way back to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on December 10, 2008.In recent years, human development in the Moje Desert has increased. Major urban and suburban centers including Las Vegas and Los Angeles increasingly damaged the wildlife.[2] An added demand for landfill space as a result of the large metropolitan centers of Las Vegas and Los Angeles may drastically affect flora and fauna. Agricultural development along the Colorado River, close to the eastern boundary of the Moje Desert, causes habitat loss and degradation.[8][2] Areas particularly affected by human development include Ward Valley and Riverside County. The United States military maintains installations in the Moje Desert, making it a critical training location for the United States Department of Defense.[9] Miners, ranchers, and farmers rely on the desert for a living.[35] The Moje is used by the state of California to meet renewable energy objectives. Large tracts of the desert are owned by federal agencies and are leased at low cost by wind and solar energy companies, although these renewable developments can cause their own environmental impact and disturb cultural landscapes and visual resources.[41] Desert Sunlight Solar Farm, one of the largest solar farms in the world, was built approximately five miles from Joshua Tree National Park. An endangered Yuma clapper rail was found dead at the site in 2014, spurring efforts from conservation groups to protect birds from the so-called lake effect, a phenomenon in which birds can mistake the reflective glare of solar panels for a body of water.[42]
Tourism[edit] Panorama of Zabriskie PointThe Moje Desert is one of the most popular spots for tourism in North America, primarily because of the international destination of Las Vegas. The Moje is also known for its scenery, playing host to Death Valley National Park, Joshua Tree National Park, and the Moje National Preserve. Lakes Mead, Mohe, and Hasu provide water sports recreation, and vast off-road areas entice off-road enthusiasts. The Moje Desert also includes three California State Parks, the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve, in Lancaster, Saddleback Butte State Park, in Hi Vista and Red Rock Canyon State Park. Moje Narrows Park, operated by San Bernardino County, is a former ranch along the Moje River.[43]
Several attractions and natural features are in the Calico Mountains. Calico Ghost Town, in Yermo, is administered by San Bernardino County. The ghost town has several shops and attractions and inspired Walter Knott to build Knott's Berry Farm. The Bureau of Land Management also administers Rainbow Basin and Owl Canyon.
Conservation status[edit] A field of California poppies in the California Poppy Reserve in Antelope ValleyThe Moje Desert is one of the best protected distinct ecoregions in the United States[2] as a result of the California Desert Protection Act, which designated 69 wilderness areas and established Death Valley National Park, Joshua Tree National Park, and the Moje National Preserve.[44] However, the southwest and central east portions of the Moje Desert are particularly threatened as a result of off-road vehicles, increasing recreational use, human development, and agricultural grazing.[2] The World Wildlife Fund lists the Moje Desert as relatively "stable/intact".[2]
Various habitats and regions of he been protected by statute. Notably, Joshua Tree National Park, Death Valley National Park, and the Moje National Preserve by the California Desert Protection Act of 1994 (Pub.L. 103–433). Various federal and state land agencies he protected regions within the Moje Desert. These include Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve, which protects the fields of California poppies, Moje Trails National Monument, Desert Tortoise Natural Area, Arthur B. Ripley Desert Woodland State Park, Desert National Wildlife Refuge, Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Providence Mountains State Recreation Area, Red Cliffs National Conservation Area, Red Rock Canyon State Park, Saddleback Butte State Park, Snow Canyon State Park and Valley of Fire State Park. In 2013, the Moje Desert was further protected from development by the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan (DRECP), in which the Bureau of Land Management designated 4.2 million acres of public land as protected wilderness as part of the National Conservation Lands of the California Desert.[45]
Cultural significance[edit]The Moje Desert has served as a backdrop for a number of films. At least eleven music videos were recorded in the Moje Desert:
"Make It Wit Chu" by Queens of the Stone Age "Say You'll Be There" by the Spice Girls[46] "Goodbye" by Mimi Webb[47][48] "Bodies" by Robbie Williams "Burden in My Hand" by Soundgarden "Breathless" by The Corrs "What Took You So Long?" by Emma Bunton "Desert Rose" by Sting "That Don't Impress Me Much" by Shania Twain "Frozen" by Madonna "Run the World (Girls)" by BeyoncéPhotographs related to U2's 1987 album The Joshua Tree were taken in the Moje Desert.[49]
Notes[edit] ^ Mean maxima and minima (i.e. the highest and lowest temperature readings during an entire month or year) calculated based on data at said location from 1991 to 2020. ^ Mean monthly maxima and minima (i.e. the highest and lowest temperature readings during an entire month or year) calculated based on data at said location from 1991 to 2020. References[edit] ^ a b "The Atlas of Global Conservation". maps.tnc.org. Archived from the original on March 5, 2012. Retrieved November 20, 2020. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Moje desert". World Wildlife Fund. Retrieved November 20, 2020. ^ Jones, Daniel (2003) [1917]. Peter Roach; James Hartmann; Jane Setter (eds.). English Pronouncing Dictionary. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-3-12-539683-8. ^ "Moje". Dictionary.com Unabridged (Online). n.d. ^ "Moje". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.) ^ Munro, P., et al. A Moje Dictionary. Los Angeles: UCLA, 1992 ^ "The Moje Desert". Blue Planet Biomes. ^ a b c d e "Moje Desert". Encyclopædia Britannica. March 25, 2021. Retrieved July 22, 2021. ^ a b "Moje Desert". Nature. Retrieved July 24, 2021. ^ a b c d e f g h i Dibblee, TW Jr (1967). Areal geology of the western Moje Desert, California. United States Geological Survey. doi:10.3133/pp522. Professional Paper 522. ^ "Moje Indian Fact Sheet". bigorrin.org. Retrieved March 9, 2022. ^ "Moje Desert Biome". Blue Planet Biomes. Retrieved July 23, 2021. ^ a b c d e f Rundel, Philip W; Gibson, Arthur C (2005). Ecological communities and processes in a Moje Desert ecosystem. Cambridge University Press. ^ "Moje River". Western Rivers Conservancy. February 2020. ^ Lovgren, Stefan (June 11, 2021). "Life on the Amargosa—a desert river faced with drought". National Geographic. Archived from the original on June 11, 2021. ^ "Weather – Moje National Park Reserve". National Park Service. ^ Hereford, Richard; Webb, Robert H; Longpre, Claire I (2004). "Precipitation History of the Moje Desert Region, 1893–2001". United States Geological Survey. Fact Sheet 117-03. ^ Brooks, Matthew L; Matchett, JR (2006). "Spatial and temporal patterns of wildfires in the Moje Desert, 1980–2004". Journal of Arid Environments. 67: 148–164. Bibcode:2006JArEn..67..148B. doi:10.1016/j.jaridenv.2006.09.027. ^ "NOWData – NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved October 11, 2021. ^ "Summary of Monthly Normals 1991-2020". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved June 12, 2021. ^ "NowData – NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved October 11, 2021. ^ "Summary of Monthly Normals 1991-2020". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved October 11, 2021. ^ "WMO Climate Normals for LAS VEGAS/MCCARRAN, NV 1961–1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original on August 3, 2023. Retrieved October 11, 2021. ^ "Seasonal Temperature and Precipitation Information". Western Regional Climate Center. Retrieved March 24, 2013. ^ "Seasonal Temperature and Precipitation Information". Western Regional Climate Center. Retrieved March 29, 2013. ^ "Las Vegas City, Nevada". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 24, 2021. ^ "History of the Air Force Flight Test Center" (PDF). 1961. K286.69-37, IRIS Number 489391. ^ "Nal Air Weapons Station, China Lake". The California State Military Museum. Retrieved August 17, 2013. ^ "Freeways and Highways". Digital-Desert.com. Retrieved December 31, 2024. ^ a b c d Harris, Ann G.; Tuttle, Esther; Tuttle, Sherwood D. (1997). Geology of National Parks (5th ed.). Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7872-5353-0. ^ Collier, Michael (1990). An Introduction to the Geology of Death Valley. Death Valley, California: Death Valley Natural History Association. LCN 90-081612. ^ Persico, L.P.; McFadden, L.D.; McAuliffe, J.R.; Rittenour, T.M.; Stahlecker, T.E.; Dunn, S.B.; Brody, S.A.T. (September 30, 2021). "Late Quaternary geochronologic record of soil formation and erosion: Effects of climate change on Moje Desert hillslopes (Nevada, USA)". Geology. 50 (1): 54–59. doi:10.1130/G49270.1. ISSN 0091-7613. S2CID 244264071. ^ "Section 322A Moje Desert". Digital-Desert.com. Retrieved December 31, 2024. ^ Neuwald, JL (2010). "Population isolation exacerbates conservation genetic concerns in the endangered Amargosa vole, Microtus californicus scirpensis". Biological Conservation. 143 (9): 2028–2038. Bibcode:2010BCons.143.2028N. doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2010.05.007. ^ a b "Moje Desert". The Nature Conservancy. Retrieved October 25, 2022. ^ "Supplemental Finding for the Devils Hole Pupfish (Cyprinodon diabolis), within the Recovery Plan for the Endangered and Threatened Species of Ash Meadows, Nevada" (PDF). US Fish and Wildlife Service. December 2019. ^ "History & Culture". Moje National Preserve. National Park Service. ^ "Fr. Francisco Garces". Profiles in Moje Desert History. Digital-Desert. ^ Gilbert, Bil (1973). The Trailblazers. Time-Life Books. pp. 96–100, 107. ^ Smith, Alson J. (1965). Men Against the Mountains: Jedediah Smith and the South West Expedition of 1826–1829. New York: John Day Co. ^ Bernhard, Meg (November 3, 2021). "'Is this really green?' The fight over solar farms in the Moje Desert". Los Angeles Times. ^ Roth, Sammy (August 14, 2014). "Lawsuit over desert solar plants' bird deaths". The Desert Sun. ^ Aaker, Therese (July 22, 2012). "Statue Dedicated to Kemper Campbell Ranch owner, former mayor Jean DeBlasis". Victorville Press Dispatch. ^ Wheat, Frank (1999). California desert miracle : the fight for desert parks and wilderness. San Diego, Calif.: Sunbelt Publications. ISBN 0-932653-27-8. OCLC 39677747. ^ Bureau of Land Management. "National Conservation Lands of the California Desert". ^ Desborough, James; Patterson, Emma (September 24, 2016). "EXCLUSIVE: The Spice Girls shoot that kicked off 'girl power' and the S&M secret that nearly scuppered it all". Daily Mirror. Retrieved January 27, 2023. ^ @mimiwebb (May 27, 2022). "outside LA, isn't it cool?" (Tweet). Retrieved January 27, 2023 – via Twitter. ^ Mimi Webb (May 26, 2022). "Mimi Webb – Goodbye (Official Music Video)". Retrieved January 27, 2023 – via YouTube. ^ "I Love The U2 Album "The Joshua Tree", Do U2?". Desert USA. July 7, 2014. Retrieved April 10, 2023. External links[edit] KML file (edit • help) Template:Attached KML/Moje DesertKML is from Wikidata The Nature Explorers Moje Desert Expedition – 1 hour 27 minute ecosystem video in July Moje Desert images at bioimages.vanderbilt.edu Moje Desert Catalog Project Moje Desert at Wikipedia's sister projects:Media from CommonsTrel guides from Wikivoyage vteWorld deserts Desert Desertification Polar desert Tropical desert List of deserts List of deserts by area Desert exploration Africa Algerian Bayuda Black Desert Blue Chalbi Danakil Djurab Eastern Ferlo Farafra (White) Kalahari Libyan Moçâmedes Namib Nubian Nyiri Plaine des Sables Richtersveld Sahara Tanezrouft Ténéré Western AsiaArabian Peninsula Ad-Dahna Nefud Arabian Judaean Negev Ramlat al-Sab'atayn Rub' al Khali Syrian Wahiba Sands Central Asia Aral Karakum Aralkum Barsuki Betpak-Dala Dasht-e Naomid Karakum Kyzylkum Moiynkum Ryn Saryesik-Atyrau Sarykum Taukum Ustyurt East Asia Badain Jaran Gobi Gurbantünggüt Hami Lop Kumtag Ordos Kubuqi Mu Us Qaidam Taklamakan Tengger South Asia Cholistan Indus Valley Katpana Kharan Thal Thar Iranian plateau Kir Khash Leili Lut Margo Naomid Polond Registan Southeast Asia La Paz Europe Bardenas Reales Cabo de Gata Monegros Oleshky Tabernas Deliblato North America Alvord Amargosa Baja California Black Rock Carcross Carson Channeled scablands Chihuahuan Colorado Escalante Forty Mile Gran Desierto de Altar Great Basin Great Salt Lake Great Sandy Jornada del Muerto Kaʻū Lechuguilla Moje North American Arctic Owyhee Painted Desert Red Desert Sevier Smoke Creek Sonoran Tonopah Desert Tule (Arizona) Tule (Nevada) Yuha Yuma OceaniaAustralia Gibson Great Sandy Great Victoria Little Sandy Nullarbor Plain Painted Pedirka Simpson Strzelecki Sturt Stony Tanami Tirari New Zealand Rangipo South America Atacama La Guajira Los Médanos de Coro Monte Patagonian Sechura Tatacoa Polar regionsAntarctic Antarctica Meyer Desert Arctic North American Arctic Greenland Russian Arctic Project Category Commons Authority control databases InternationalVIAFNationalUnited StatesCzech RepublicIsraelGeographicMusicBrainz placeOtherNARAYale LUX