Nature
The Granite Mountains are a remote mountain range in northern Riverside County in the Mojave Desert of southeastern California, east of Joshua Tree National Park within the protected Palen/McCoy Wilderness. Stretching about 12 miles long and 4 miles wide, the range rises to 4,351 feet and is one of four Mojave ranges with the same name. Its significance lies especially in its exposed geology: the mountains are largely composed of Cretaceous granodiorite, cut by leucogranite, with northern roof pendants of gneiss and related rocks. Sparse recorded vegetation includes ocotillo, juniper, palo verde, yucca, and Saharan mustard, and the area forms part of the range of desert bighorn sheep.
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California · United States