Sierra Nevada
The Sierra Nevada is a mountain range in eastern California and western Nevada, defined by a high granitic crest and a steep eastern escarpment.
Sierra Nevada batholith: A vast body of granitic rock formed from magma beneath the ancient Sierra Nevada volcanic arc. Its exposed granite makes up much of the range’s crest and western slopes.
Yosemite National Park: A national park in California’s Sierra Nevada, renowned for granite cliffs, waterfalls, and giant sequoias. Its glacially carved valley is among the range’s best-known landscapes.
California water system: The network of reservoirs, canals, aqueducts, and rivers that stores and moves water across California. Sierra Nevada runoff supplies major reservoirs and supports distant farms and cities.
California Gold Rush: A mass migration to California after gold was discovered in 1848, transforming the region’s population and economy. Gold discoveries in the Sierra Nevada foothills drew miners and accelerated settlement.
Sierra Nevada snowpack: The seasonal accumulation of snow across the Sierra Nevada, a major source of California’s water supply. Warming temperatures are changing how much water remains stored as snow and when it melts.
Sierra Nevada uplift: The geological processes that raised and tilted the Sierra Nevada into its present mountain form. Uplift produced the range’s high crest and steep eastern face.
Sequoia National Park: A national park in the southern Sierra Nevada that protects giant sequoia groves and high mountain terrain. It contains the range’s highest summits and extensive sequoia forests.
California State Water Project: A state-operated system that stores and conveys water from northern California to communities and farms. It captures and transports water originating partly in the Sierra Nevada.
California Indian genocide: The mass killing, forced displacement, and destruction of Indigenous communities in California during the nineteenth century. Mining and settlement around the Sierra Nevada intensified violence against Indigenous peoples.
Sierra Nevada megafires: Large, high-severity wildfires affecting extensive areas of the Sierra Nevada and its forests. Their growing extent raises questions about forest resilience and fire management.