Indian Wells Valley is an arid north–south basin in east-central

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. In the geologic sense, it is a southern extension of

Owens Valley Owens Valley (Mono language (California), Mono: ''Payahǖǖnadǖ'', meaning "place of flowing water") is an arid valley of the Owens River in eastern California in the United States. It is located to the east of the Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra ...

to the north, with the recent volcanics of the Coso Range being the separator. It is defined by a major fault on the west side of the valley. Unlike Owens Valley, it is bound by a fault to the south, the Garlock Fault (within the El Paso Mountains). The valley is part of California's South Lahontan hydrologic region. Owens Peak, located west of the Indian Wells Valley, overlooks the basin from the west at 8,452 feet, making it the tallest peak in the southern

Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada ( ) is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primari ...

range. Other mountain ranges surrounding the valley include the Argus Range in the east, the Coso Range in the north, and the El Paso Mountains in the south.

Geography

The Indian Wells Valley is shared by three separate counties; Inyo County encompassing the north,

Kern County Kern County is a county (United States), county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 909,235. Its county seat is Bakersfield, California, Bakersfield. Kern County compris ...

making up the south-central and western part of the valley, and

San Bernardino County San Bernardino County ( ), officially the County of San Bernardino and sometimes abbreviated as S.B. County, is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of California, and is located within the Inland Empire area. As of th ...

making up the remaining eastern segment. It lies within the 760 and 442 area code zone. Indian Wells Valley facing north

Indian Wells Valley is traversed by California State Route 14, California State Route 178, and US Highway 395. The valley varies in elevation from as low as 2,150 feet to as high as 2,400 feet. China Lake, a perennial lake and namesake for the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake and unincorporated community China Lake, is located in the northeastern segment of the valley.

Settlements

The valley's largest and only incorporated community is Ridgecrest. Other unincorporated communities include Inyokern, Pearsonville, China Lake Acres, China Lake, Ridgecrest Heights, and Indian Wells. Indian Wells Valley contains the second largest population base in Kern County with a population of 34,837 (per 2010 census).

Ecology

Indian Wells Valley is located in the northwesternmost part of the

Mojave Desert The Mojave Desert (; ; ) is a desert in the rain shadow of the southern Sierra Nevada mountains and Transverse Ranges in the Southwestern United States. Named for the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous Mohave people, it is located pr ...

plant community A plant community is a collection or Association (ecology), association of plant species within a designated geographical unit, which forms a relatively uniform patch, distinguishable from neighboring patches of different vegetation types. The comp ...

and

ecoregion An ecoregion (ecological region) is an ecological and geographic area that exists on multiple different levels, defined by type, quality, and quantity of environmental resources. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and c ...

, receiving just 4-6 inches of precipitation a year.

References

External links

*
Groundwater Quality in the Indian Wells Valley, California

United States Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), founded as the Geological Survey, is an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior whose work spans the disciplines of biology, geography, geology, and hydrology. The agency was founded on Mar ...

{{Authority control Valleys of the Mojave Desert Valleys of Inyo County, California Valleys of Kern County, California Valleys of San Bernardino County, California Mojave Desert Ridgecrest, California Valleys of California

Geography

Settlements

Ecology

See also

References

External links