Sierra Nevada facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sierra Nevada |
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The Sierra's Mills Creek cirque (center) is on the west side of the Sierra Crest, south of Mono Lake (top, blue).
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| Highest point | |
| Peak | Mount Whitney |
| Elevation | 14,505 ft (4,421 m) |
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 400 mi (640 km) north-south from Fredonyer Pass to Tehachapi Pass |
| Width | 80 mi (130 km) |
| Area | 24,370 sq mi (63,100 km2) |
| Naming | |
| Etymology | 1777: Spanish for "snowy mountain range" |
| Nickname | the Sierra, the High Sierra, Range of Light (1894, John Muir) |
| Geography | |
Position of Sierra Nevada inside California
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| Country | United States |
| Range coordinates | 37°43′51″N 119°34′22″W / 37.73083°N 119.57278°W |
| Geology | |
| Age of rock | Mesozoic |
| Type of rock | batholith and igneous |
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 primarily in Nevada. The Sierra Nevada is part of the American Cordillera, an almost continuous chain of mountain ranges that forms the western "backbone" of the Americas.
The Sierra runs 400 miles (640 km) north-south and its width ranges from 50 miles (80 km) to 80 miles (130 km) across east–west. Notable features include General Sherman, the largest tree in the world by volume; Lake Tahoe, the largest alpine lake in North America; Mount Whitney at 14,505 ft (4,421 m), the highest point in the contiguous United States; and Yosemite Valley sculpted by glaciers from one-hundred-million-year-old granite, containing high waterfalls. The Sierra is home to three national parks, twenty wilderness areas, and two national monuments. These areas include Yosemite, Sequoia, and Kings Canyon National Parks; and Devils Postpile National Monument.
More than one hundred million years ago during the Nevadan orogeny, granite formed deep underground. The range started to uplift less than five million years ago, and erosion by glaciers exposed the granite and formed the light-colored mountains and cliffs that make up the range. The uplift caused a wide range of elevations and climates in the Sierra Nevada, which are reflected by the presence of five life zones (areas with similar plant and animal communities). Uplift continues due to faulting caused by tectonic forces, creating spectacular fault block escarpments along the eastern edge of the southern Sierra.
The Sierra Nevada has played an important role in the history of California and the United States. The California Gold Rush occurred in the western foothills from 1848 through 1855. Due to its inaccessibility, the range was not fully explored until 1912.
Images for kids
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Kearsarge Lakes Basin is named after the USS Kearsarge
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The Sierra hosts many waterways, such as the Tuolumne River.
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Mount Whitney, the highest peak in the range and the contiguous United States
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Mount Tallac above Lake Tahoe
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View of Sequoia National Park from Moro Rock
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Sevehah Cliff, near Convict Lake, shows severely deformed Devonian rock
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Yosemite Valley in Yosemite National Park was carved by glaciers
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Red Slate Mountain (elevation 13,156 ft or 4,010 m) is still covered with snow in June.
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Tuolumne Meadows is an example of a subalpine meadow in the Sierra.
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John Frémont was an early American explorer of the Sierra
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Map of gold fields in the Sierra
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The exploration team for the California Geological Survey, 1864
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The General Sherman Tree, a giant sequoia in Sequoia National Park, is the world's largest tree by volume.
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