HARTMAN MULTIMEDIA
Nature Based Multimedia Information Systems
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HARTMAN MULTIMEDIA
Nature Based Multimedia Information Systems |
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Red Rock Canyon and Dove Springs Area Red Rock Canyon, including the State Recreation Area, Dove Springs Canyon and a part of Indian Wells Valley, comprise this large area at the western end of the El Paso Mountains where they join the Sierra. The dominant vegetation in most of this area is a creosote bush scrub with Prosopis glandulosa var. torreyana, Atriplex phyllostegia, Ephedra viridis and Coleogyne ramosissima. There are also scattered Joshua tree woodlands, with Yucca brevifolia var. herbertii the most conspicuous component. Within the area are several rare plants including Amsinckia vernicosa, Chorizanthe spinosa and Hemizonia arida; the latter is known from only this area. Other noteworthy plants found here include Lupinus microcarpus var. horizontalis, Camissonia kernensis and Eriogonum plumatella. There is an abundance of animal life, with numerous reptiles such as the desert tortoise, Gopherus agassizzi. The rare Mojave ground squirrel, Citellus mohavensis, is found here, as is the Panamint kangaroo rat, Dipodomys panamintinus mohavensis. Over 160 species of birds have been recorded in the area. These include the golden eagle, Aquila chrysaetos, prairie falcon, Falco mexicanus, and the burrowing owl, Speotyto cunicularia. The area is of interest both geologically and paleontologically. The El Paso Fault, which here is separated from the Garlock Fault by a distance of 2 - 3 kilometers (1.5 - 2 miles), crosses the southern section of this area and meets the Sierra Nevada Fault near the southwestern corner of the area. Ricardo Creek has cut a steep-sided canyon in the Red Rock area, exposing Upper Miocene or the Pliocene nonmarine sandstones and other sedimentaries of the Ricardo formation. This is interbedded and overlain with Pliocene volcanics. The Ricardo formation has yielded both a flora and fauna; the former appears to be of a somewhat earlier date. The flora is composed primarily of fossil woods, though some leaves are present, and shows live oak, pinyon pine, locust, cypress, buckbrush, acacia, desert thorn and palm present. Amongst the numerous vertebrates in the Ricardo fauna of the Clarendonian Age are horses, Hipparion, Pliohippus, dogs, Tomarctus, bear-dogs, Hadrocyon, Osteoborus, sabre-toothed cats, Ischyrosmilus, long-jawed mastodons, rhinoceroses, pronghorns, camels and oreodonts. The fauna indicates the presence of a savannah-grassland community. Integrity: Substantial portions of the area have been severely damaged by off-road vehicle activity. There is a major highway in the area. There are also numerous dirt roads, picnic areas, mining claims, etc. Portions of the area, however, are relatively undisturbed. Use: Research, educational, observational. Some private. March 1978 Kern |
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