Transverse Ranges

The Transverse Ranges get their name from the peculiar way they jog across the grain of almost all the other major mountain ranges in the state. The vast majority of the Golden State’s mountains generally run in a southeast to northwest orientation. As you might suspect, many of California’s fault lines also share this alignment.

But California’s most famous fault line, the San Andreas, bucks this trend slightly. Emerging in the Salton Trough from a spreading zone, the San Andreas at first trends northwest towards Desert Hot Springs. But not long after it takes a gentle left turn towards a more WNW bearing. Many of its subsidiary faults take a harder left and align themselves in a westerly fashion. As a result the Transverse Ranges trend in a east-west direction. This has a significant impact on the coastal plains of southern California. They are, in effect, cut off from the rest of the state by imposing mountains.

Point Dume

Point Dume is a headland in Malibu that helps delineate the northern boundary of Santa Monica Bay. This particular rock wall attracts climbers and can be seen in many movies, TV shows and commercials.

Riparian Corridor

The fall colors of cottonwoods (yellow) clearly indicate the riparian habitat of Sespe Creek. Chaparral communities assert themselves outside of the stream bed.

San Gabriel Mountains

The balmy climate of southern California owes its existence in part to the shielding action of these mountains. In winter, these mountains block cold northern air masses from reaching the coast. Those air flows that do make it up and over the range are heated by compression as they cascaded into coastal valleys. Throughout the year the Transverse Ranges also work to direct and keep onshore air flows trapped in the basin below. On overcast days, like this one, that may help to moderate temperatures in the basin. But it also exacerbates air pollution (smog).Saddleback Mountain, in the Santa Ana Range pokes through the clouds in the distance. Hidden in the fog below lies the cities of the coastal plain and Inland Empire.

San Gogornio from Mt. Baldy

San Gorgonio (in the distance) is 11,503' tall, making it the highest mountain in the Transverse Ranges and in Southern California. These peaks are often capped with mantles of snow in the winter months. As you can see from the hazy marine layer lapping at the range in the gulf between theses two promentories, the range is an effective barrier between the air flows on the coastal plain (to the right) and the deserts further inland.

Santa Cruz Island

Santa Cruz Island is not only the largest island in the Channel Islands but also the largest in California. At over 96 square miles, it in some ways mimics the state as a whole with it's diversity of topography and habitats. Though several miles offshore, the Channel Islands are considered a part of the Transverse Ranges due to similar formation and geology.

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