Editing Inyo Mountains

{{short description|Mountain range in California, United States}}
{{Infobox mountain
| name              =Inyo Mountains
| photo             =Owens.lake.arp.750pix.jpg
| photo_caption     =Inyo Mountains from space
| country           = United States
| subdivision1_type = States
| subdivision1      = {{hlist|California|Nevada}}
| parent            = Basin and Range Province
| borders_on        = [[White Mountains (California)|White Mountains]], [[Sierra Nevada]]
| range_coordinates = 
| length_mi         = 70
| width_mi          = 10
| highest           =[[Waucoba Mountain]]<ref>{{cite gnis|id= 237364|name=Waucoba Mountain|access-date=2009-05-03}}</ref>
| highest_location  =~18 mi (29&nbsp;km) southeast of [[Big Pine, California|Big Pine]].
| elevation_ft      = 11123
| coordinates       = {{coord|36|10|00|N|118|00|03|W|type:mountain|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| map_image         =Wpdms shdrlfi020l inyo mountains.jpg
| map_caption       =
}}

[[File:Inyo Mountain Wilderness.jpg|thumb|Inyo Mountain Wilderness]]
[[Image:Inyos N of NYButte.jpg|thumb|Inyo Mountain crest, north of New York Butte]]

The '''Inyo Mountains''' are a short [[mountain range]] east of the [[Sierra Nevada]] in eastern [[California]] in the [[United States]].<ref name="gnis">{{cite gnis|id=266850|name=Inyo Mountains|access-date=2009-05-03}}</ref> The range separates the [[Owens Valley]] to the west from [[Saline Valley]] to the east, extending for approximately {{convert|70|mi}} south-southeast from the southern end of the [[White Mountains (California)|White Mountains]], from which they are separated by [[Westgard Pass]], to the east of [[Owens Lake]].

[[Geology|Geologically]], the mountains are a [[Fault-block mountain|fault block]] range in the [[Basin and Range Province]], at the western end of the [[Great Basin]]. They are considered to be among the most important and best-known Late [[Proterozoic]] to [[Cambrian]] sections in the United States.<ref>[http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/cambrian/whites.html Localities of the Cambrian: White-Inyo Mountains]</ref>

== Wilderness ==
Most of the mountain range ({{convert|199208|acres|km2|abbr=on}}) is designated as the '''Inyo Mountain Wilderness''', managed by the [[Bureau of Land Management]] in the south and the [[United States Forest Service]] in the north.<ref>[https://wilderness.net/visit-wilderness/?ID=263 Inyo Mountains Wilderness] - Wilderness Connect</ref> The USFS manages {{convert|73300|acres|km2|abbr=on}} of the wilderness all within [[Inyo National Forest]].<ref>[https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/inyo/recarea/?recid=21880 Inyo Mountains Wilderness] - Inyo National Forest</ref>

Wildlife in the area includes the [[endangered species|endangered]] [[Inyo Mountains salamander]] and the [[desert bighorn sheep]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ca.blm.gov/pa/wilderness/wa/areas/inyo_mountains.html |title=BLM: Inyo Mountain Wilderness |access-date=2004-06-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040811173008/http://www.ca.blm.gov/pa/wilderness/wa/areas/inyo_mountains.html |archive-date=2004-08-11 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Plant communities include [[Larrea tridentata|creosote]] and [[sagebrush]] at lower altitudes, and [[bristlecone pine]] forests at higher altitudes.<ref>[https://wilderness.net/visit-wilderness/?ID=263 Inyo Mountains Wilderness] - Wilderness Connect</ref> A number of rare and [[Endemism|endemic]] plants are adapted to the unique [[limestone]] soils of the mountains, including the [[Hesperidanthus jaegeri|cliffdweller]],<ref>[http://cnps.web.aplus.net/cgi-bin/inv/inventory.cgi/Go?_id=caulostramina_jaegeri&sort=DEFAULT&search=Caulostramina%20jaegeri CNPS: ''Caulostramina'']</ref> [[Cryptantha roosiorum|bristlecone cryptantha]],<ref>[http://cnps.web.aplus.net/cgi-bin/inv/inventory.cgi/Go?_id=cryptantha_roosiorum&sort=DEFAULT&search=Cryptantha%20roosiorum CNPS: ''Cryptantha roosiorum'']</ref> and [[Laphamia inyoensis|Inyo rock daisy]].<ref>[http://cnps.web.aplus.net/cgi-bin/inv/inventory.cgi/Go?_id=perityle_inyoensis&sort=DEFAULT&search=Perityle%20inyoensis CNPS: ''Perityle inyoensis'']</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
*[https://www.blm.gov/visit/inyo-mountains-wilderness Inyo Mountain Wilderness] - BLM

{{Commons category|position=left}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Inyo Mountains| ]]
[[Category:Mountain ranges of Inyo County, California]]
[[Category:Mountain ranges of the Mojave Desert]]
[[Category:California placenames of Native American origin]]
[[Category:Inyo National Forest]]
[[Category:Owens Valley]]