User:Cinndeee/sandbox/geologyandclimate

Tectonic Plates
The slow continental drifting of landmasses are called tectonic plates (or lithospheric plates) and they drift across the lines of latitude and longitude. The tectonic plates have been moving since the beginning of time. Movement of the tectonic plates affects the oceanic and atmospheric circulation, climate, storm tracks, and the duration and timing of seasons. Each year, the tectonic plates move slowly across the Earth by several inches. When the continents collide, one plate will usually be forced underneath the other plate, which will result in the upthrust of mountain chains. Movements of these faults can turn a flat plain into a massive mountain range. As the mountains take form, biomes begin to develop along their slopes.

Tucson Mountains
Located west of Tucson, Arizona, the Tucson Mountains is not impressively high as they only reach up to 4,687 feet. They may be short in stature, but they are big in beauty. The Tucson Mountains are the remains of a collapsed volcano ranging 15 miles long. Towering stratovolcanoes erupted here ejecting hot volcanic debris about 70 million years ago. The Tucson Mountains were pulled westward for miles across the detachment fault to where they are today. As I stated before, the Tucson mountains were once a volcano located on the western side of the Santa Catalina Mountain. For 20 miles, the top of the volcano slid to the west and formed a valley between the Tucson and Santa Catalina Mountains. The occurrence of detachment faulting was discovered by scientists from the University of Arizona in the Santa Catalinas. The Tucson Mountains are composed of an extrusive ingenious rock created by the eruption of the volcano called rhyolite.

Santa Catalina Mountains


About 70 million years ago, a massive volcano formed where the Santa Catalina Mountains are today. The volcano then created a circular basin called a caldera after it collapsed on itself. Then 40 million years later, detachment faults caused the upper part of the caldera to slide 20 miles off the lower region due to detachment faults. The creation of the faults produced mountain ranges and valleys. This caused Tucson to drop 3,300 meters down, creating the valley that has since been filled with 1,650 meters of sediment. The upper caldera became the Tucson Mountains, while the lower caldera and underlying granite that was left higher on the north side of the valley became Rincon Mountains and Santa Catalina Mountains.

The Santa Catalina Mountain lies north and northeast of Tucson, Arizona. It is often referred to as Catalina Mountain or Catalinas. The highest point in Catalina Mountain is Mount Lemmon with an elevation of over 9,157 feet above the sea level. Annually, this region receives about 180 inches of snow. The Catalina is the most prominent of the other five regions. One of the most popular activities on this mountain is hiking. The Santa Catalina Mountain is composed of an intrusive ingenious rock formed from the solidified magma below the volcano called granite.

Rincon Mountains
The Rincon Mountains is one of the five mountains surrounding the Tucson valley located on the east of Tucson, Arizona. The sun rises on the east side of the Rincon Mountains. The mountain is steep and rugged with many rocky ridges and deep canyons to explore. It is composed of a highly eroded mass of bedrock known as a metaphoric core complex. The Rincon Mountains' highest peaks include the Mica Mountain with an elevation of 8,664 feet and Rincon Peak at 8,482 feet. The Mica Mountain's high elevation supports the spruce vegetation and Ponderosa Pine, while lower elevations have oak-pine forests. Some special places to explore in this mountain include Rincon Mountains Wilderness and the Saguaro National Park, Rincon Mountain District. Rincon Mountains also provides many hiking trails to explore including Douglas Spring Trail, Rincon Peak, Cactus Forest Trail, etc.

Santa Rita Mountains
The Santa Rita Mountains lie south of the Tucson Basin. It has the highest point in the Tucson area with the highest peak at Mount Wrightson with an elevation of 9,453 feet. Within the range is Madera Canyon that is used as a resting area for migrating birds and is a premier bird-watching area. Santa Rita Mountains is also home to "El Jefe," an adult male jaguar that was first identified in 2011. Santa Rita Mountain also contains trails like the Bog Springs Trail, Cave Creek, and Old Baldy Trail.

Tortolita Mountains
The Tortolita Mountains are located northwest of Tucson, Arizona. Its highest peak elevation is 4,696 feet. Established in 1986 by the Pima County, the Tortolita Mountain Park protects most of the mountain range.