Temecula Valley facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Temecula Valley
Panoramic overlooking the Temecula Valley
Location	Riverside County, California

The Temecula Valley is a special kind of valley in western Riverside County, California. It's known as a "rift valley" because of how it was formed.

What is the Temecula Valley?

The Temecula Valley is a long, low area of land. It is located in the western part of Riverside County, California. This valley is a type of graben rift valley. This means it's a section of land that has dropped down. It sank between two large cracks in the Earth's crust.

How the Valley Was Formed

The Temecula Valley is part of a bigger system called the Elsinore Trough. Imagine the Earth's crust as a giant puzzle. Sometimes, pieces of this puzzle, called "plates," move. This movement can create cracks, or "faults." The Elsinore Trough is a series of valleys. These valleys were created by a major crack in the Earth called the Elsinore Fault Zone.

The Temecula Valley itself sits between two specific faults. On its eastern side, it's bordered by the Wildomar Fault. This fault is at the base of the Temescal Mountains. On its western side, the Willard Fault runs along the foot of the Santa Ana Mountains. These faults caused the land in between to sink. This sinking created the valley we see today.

Waterways of the Valley

Water flows through the Temecula Valley. Two main creeks, Murrieta Creek and Temecula Creek, drain the area. They also have smaller streams that flow into them. All these waterways eventually join together. When they meet, they form the Santa Margarita River. This river then flows towards the ocean.

Cities in the Valley

Several important cities are located in the Temecula Valley. The main parts of the cities of Murrieta, Temecula, and Wildomar are all found here. These cities have grown in this naturally formed valley.