Elsinore Valley facts for kids

Elsinore Valley is a unique type of valley in western Riverside County, California. It is part of a larger area called the Elsinore Trough. Imagine a long, sunken area of land, like a trench, between two higher blocks of Earth. That's what the Elsinore Valley is!

It's known as a graben rift valley. A graben is a section of the Earth's crust that has dropped down between two faults. These faults are cracks in the Earth's surface where rocks have moved. The Elsinore Valley sits between two large blocks of land: the Santa Ana Block to the southwest and the Perris Block to the northeast.

What Makes Elsinore Valley Special?

The Elsinore Valley is not just one simple sunken area. It's a "complex graben." This means it's divided into several smaller parts. These divisions are caused by other faults that run across the valley, called transverse faults. Think of it like a long, narrow garden bed that has smaller sections separated by paths running across it.

How the Valley is Formed

The valley's shape is defined by several important fault lines. On its northeast side, near the northern part of Lake Elsinore, you'll find the Glen Ivy Fault. This fault runs along the base of the Clevelin Hills.

To the southeast, the Willard Fault helps define the valley. It runs along the base of the Santa Ana Mountains. This fault is also parallel to the Elsinore Fault, which is found along the southwest shore of Lake Elsinore, near Rome Hill.

Key Fault Lines

The Willard Fault doesn't stop there. It continues to form the western edge of the Temecula Valley graben and the Wolf Valley graben.

Near the southern end of Lake Elsinore, another fault, the Wildomar Fault, enters the lake. It then extends southeast, forming the northwest side of the Temecula Valley.

Where Does the Valley End?

To the south, the Elsinore Valley rises up, separating it from the Temecula Valley. In the north, the valley's edges are marked by ridges of the Santa Ana Mountains. These ridges have moved eastward because of the Los Pinos Fault and Lucerne Fault. These are also transverse faults. They separate the Elsinore Valley from another nearby valley called the Temescal Valley graben.

So, the Elsinore Valley is a fascinating example of how Earth's movements create unique landforms. It's a sunken valley shaped by many different fault lines.