Table Mountain (Tuolumne County, California)

Table Mountain
Table Mountain
Tuolumne County, California, U.S.
Elevation 1,919 ft (585 m) NAVD 88[1]
Location
Range Sierra Nevada
Coordinates [1]
Topo map USGS

Table Mountain is a mountainous landform in Tuolumne County, California. Nine million years ago, lava erupted from the east and filled an ancient river bed. Subsequently, the surface around the river eroded, while the hard lava protected the river from erosion. As a result, Table Mountain is an inverted valley: a river valley that is above the surrounding topography, rather than below it.[2]

A variety of flora and fauna are found on Table Mountain; included in these are many wildflowers, among which is the Yellow Mariposa Lily, Calochortus luteus.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b "Table Mountain". Geographic Names Information System, U.S. Geological Survey. http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=gnispq:3:::NO::P3_FID:235955. 
  2. ^ Romans, Brian (October 2010). "Inverted Martian Topography". Wired Science. http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/10/inverted-martian-topography/. 
  3. ^ Hogan, C. Michael (2009). "Yellow Mariposa Lily". Globaltwitcher.com. http://www.globaltwitcher.com/artspec_information.asp?thingid=97686&lang=us. 

See also