HARTMAN MULTIMEDIA
Nature Based Multimedia Information Systems
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HARTMAN MULTIMEDIA
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Geological features combined with an unusual flora and fauna make the Clark Mountains one of the most distinctive ranges in the Mojave Desert. In most of the range a pinyon, Pinus monophylla, and
juniper, Juniperus osteosperma, woodland forms the cover.
In the lower elevations it grades into a Joshua tree woodland with Yucca
brevifolia var. jaegeriana or creosote bush scrub with Larrea
tridentata.
Near the top of Clark Mountain there is a relict stand of white fir,
Abies concolor, some 60 hectares (150 acres) in extent.
At least one individual specimen in the stand is over 430 years old. Fossil pack-rat nests with needles of the fir as well as
bristlecone and limber pines, Pinus longaeva and Pinus flexilis, have been found
in the range. The needles have been dated to 23,600 and 28,720 years B.P.
The pines are not found in the area now. In terms of the number of cactus species present, this
area is one of the richest in the State. Echinocactus polycephalus, Ferocactus
cylindraceus, Opuntia erinacea var. erinacea, Opuntia basilaris,
Opuntia ramosissima, Opuntia parishii, Mammillaria tetrancistra, Escobaria vivipara var.
deserti, Echinocereus triglochidiatus and Echinocereus engelmannii var. chrysocentrus all occur here. A number of plants are at or near their range limits in
this area, including the grasses Enneapogon desvauxii, Festuca
arizonica [Ed. note: Festuca arizonica not documented in California], Muhlenbergia
arsenei, Piptatherum micranthum, Achnatherum aridum and Erioneuron pilosum, Several rare or uncommon plants are found in the mountains; Agave utahensis var. nevadensis, Celtis reticulata, Eriogonum heermannii var. floccosum and Glossopetalon pungens. Numerous animals inhabit these mountains. Among the large mammals, the rare bighorn sheep, Ovis canadensis, breeds here. Birds include such uncommon, in California, species as Bendire's thrasher, Toxostoma bendirei, gray vireo, Vireo vicinior, painted redstart, Myioborus pictus, flammulated owl, Otus flammeolus, broadtailed hummingbird, Selasphorus platycercus, and Virginia's warbler, Vermivora virginiae. Reptiles are abundunt. The Gila monster, Heloderma suspectum, which is known in the State from only a few other sites, is found in the area. Fossils include land mammals of the early Pleistocene, (Irvingtonian) Pleistocene plants, and marine invertebrates dating to the Paleozoic that have been discovered in the area. Most of the range consists of Precambrian and Paleozoic rocks, including limestone. Among the unique assemblage of minerals found here are rare phosphates and arsenates, gold, silver, zinc, and rare earths. A prominent fault scarp marks the east side. Several springs and intermittent creeks are located within the area. Integrity: While much of the range is wilderness, cattle grazing has eliminated the perennial grasses in portions of the area. Burros are destroying bighorn habitat here. There are a number of mines and access roads, primarily in the southern part, where the largest deposit of rare earths in the hemisphere is being mined. Use: Research, educational, observational. Some private. Ref: Prigge, B. 1975. Flora of the Clark Mountains, Calif. Cal. State Univ. L.A. Unpub. M.A. Thesis, 85 p. April 1981
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