| Arica Mountains | |
| Mountain Range | |
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| State | California |
| District | Riverside County |
| Coordinates | |
| Highest point | |
| - elevation | 626 m (2,054 ft) |
| Timezone | Pacific (UTC-8) |
| - summer (DST) | PDT (UTC-7) |
| Topo map | USGS Arica Mountains |
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location of Arica Mountains in California [1]
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The Arica Mountains are a mountain range in Riverside County, California.[1] They are in the Colorado Desert, in the Lower Colorado River Valley region. They are near the Palen Mountains and Big Maria Mountains; and northeast of Blythe, California.
Contents |
The Arica Mountains are in the Palen/McCoy Wilderness Area, managed by the Bureau of Land Management.
Within the Palen-McCoy Wilderness are the Arica , Granite, Palen, Little Maria, and McCoy Mountains, which are five distinct mountain ranges separated by broad sloping alluvial fans-bajadas. Because this large area incorporates so many major geological features, the diversity of vegetation and landforms is exceptional. The desert wash woodland found here provides food and cover for burro deer, coyote, bobcat, gray fox, and mountain lion. Desert pavement, bajadas, interior valleys, canyons, dense ironwood forests, canyons and rugged peaks form a constantly changing landscape pattern. [2]