Page 13 - muehlberger1954
P. 13
-3-
irregular ridges and spurs which attain altitudes of 5,000 to 7,000 feet.
The Sierra Pelona is an elongate ridge which extends for more than 20
miles in an easterly direction along the northern margin of the basin.
Ridge elevations of about 2, 500 feet in the western end increase gradually
to 5, 000 feet and more at the eastern end of the range. In the Soledad
basin, elevations range from 1,400 feet to 3,500 feet with a few peaks
in the eastern part rising to altitudes of 4, 000 feet or more.
Local relief varies from 300 feet to 500 feet in the western
part of the basin. As the margins of the basin are approached, the
country becomes progressively more rugged; the relief locally may be
as much as 1,500 feet in the steep-walled gullies and canyons.
The drainage in the basin is broadly southwestward to the Santa
Clara River, which flows westward along the southern margin of the
basin. The major tributaries of the Santa Clara River in the Soledad
basin are named Agua Dulce, Tick, Mint, Bouquet, San Francisquito,
and Elizabeth Lake Canyons, from east to west (pl. 1). The ten mile
reach of the Santa Clara River downstream from Acton is a deep, steep-
walled gorge known as Soledad Canyon.
Climate and vegetation
This region has a semi-arid climate, with an annual rainfall
of about 15 inches. Most of the precipitation falls during the months
from November to April, inclusive, and in the higher parts of the Sierra
Pelona some is in the form of snow. Palmdale, at the eastern margin