Mountain Pass, California facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mountain Pass
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View of the settlement of Mountain Pass
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 Mountain Pass
Location in California
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| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | San Bernardino |
| Elevation | 4,728 ft (1,441 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (Pacific (PST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
| ZIP Codes |
92366
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| Area code(s) | 760 |
Mountain Pass is a small, quiet community in San Bernardino County, California. It's not a big city, but it's famous for something special: a mine that digs up rare and important elements from the Earth. This place is high up in the mountains, about 4,730 feet above sea level. It's right on a major highway called Interstate 15, close to the border with Nevada. Only about 30 people live here.
Contents
About Mountain Pass
Mountain Pass is known as an unincorporated community. This means it's a place where people live, but it doesn't have its own local government like a city or town. Instead, it's managed by the larger San Bernardino County.
The Mountain Pass Mine
The most important part of Mountain Pass is the Mountain Pass Mine. This is an open pit mine, which means it's a big hole dug into the ground to get minerals. This mine is special because it digs for rare-earth elements. These are a group of 17 chemical elements that are very important for modern technology. They are used in things like smartphones, computers, electric cars, and even wind turbines.
The mine and its processing buildings are owned by a company called MP Materials. They bought the mine in 2017. This mine is a big deal because it's one of the few places in the Western Hemisphere that produces these valuable rare-earth elements.
Weather in Mountain Pass
Mountain Pass is in a region called the High Desert. This area has a special type of weather known as a cold semi-arid climate. This means it's generally dry, but not as dry as a true desert, and it can get quite cold.
Seasons and Temperatures
- Winters: Winters are usually chilly but sunny. During the day, temperatures are around 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius). At night, it often drops below freezing.
- Summers: Summers are hot and a bit wetter. July is the hottest month, with daytime temperatures often reaching the low 90s Fahrenheit (around 32-34 degrees Celsius).
- Rain and Snow: Even though it's dry most of the year, July and August are the wettest months. This is when thunderstorms often form over the nearby mountains. These storms can sometimes cause flash flooding. Snow is not common, but it does fall about 2-3 times a year. It usually melts quickly by the afternoon.
| Climate data for Mountain Pass, California. (Elevation 4,740 ft) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 71 (22) |
76 (24) |
81 (27) |
90 (32) |
104 (40) |
109 (43) |
110 (43) |
109 (43) |
102 (39) |
96 (36) |
89 (32) |
70 (21) |
110 (43) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 50.4 (10.2) |
53.7 (12.1) |
59.0 (15.0) |
66.4 (19.1) |
76.3 (24.6) |
87.0 (30.6) |
92.8 (33.8) |
89.9 (32.2) |
83.9 (28.8) |
72.4 (22.4) |
58.9 (14.9) |
51.1 (10.6) |
70.2 (21.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 29.5 (−1.4) |
32.4 (0.2) |
35.8 (2.1) |
41.0 (5.0) |
49.8 (9.9) |
59.2 (15.1) |
66.5 (19.2) |
64.5 (18.1) |
56.6 (13.7) |
46.3 (7.9) |
36.2 (2.3) |
30.2 (−1.0) |
45.7 (7.6) |
| Record low °F (°C) | 3 (−16) |
6 (−14) |
12 (−11) |
19 (−7) |
28 (−2) |
36 (2) |
42 (6) |
44 (7) |
33 (1) |
21 (−6) |
10 (−12) |
−2 (−19) |
−2 (−19) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 0.92 (23) |
0.89 (23) |
0.89 (23) |
0.48 (12) |
0.27 (6.9) |
0.20 (5.1) |
1.04 (26) |
1.23 (31) |
0.59 (15) |
0.54 (14) |
0.68 (17) |
0.63 (16) |
8.36 (212) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 2.7 (6.9) |
1.8 (4.6) |
1.4 (3.6) |
0.5 (1.3) |
0.2 (0.51) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0.1 (0.25) |
1.1 (2.8) |
1.5 (3.8) |
9.3 (24) |
| Source: The Western Regional Climate Center | |||||||||||||
