Editing Tehachapi Mountains

{{Short description|Mountain range of the Transverse Ranges in California}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox mountain
| name              = Tehachapi Mountains
| photo             = EastTehachapiCrest.jpg
| photo_caption     = Tehachapi Mountains Crest peaks
| country           = United States
| subdivision1      = California
| subdivision3_type = Counties
| subdivision3      = {{hlist|[[Kern County|Kern]]|[[Los Angeles County|Los Angeles]]}}
| parent            = [[Transverse Ranges]]
| borders_on        = {{hlist|[[Sierra Nevada (U.S.)|Sierra Nevada]]|[[San Emigdio Mountains]]|[[Sierra Pelona Mountains]]}}
| highest           = [[Double Mountain (California)|Double Mountain]]
| elevation_ft      = 7981
| range_coordinates = {{coord|34.95|N|118.58|W|type:mountain|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| map_image         = Wpdms shdrlfi020l tehachapi mountains.jpg
| coordinates       = 
| length_mi         = 40
}}

The '''Tehachapi Mountains''' ({{IPAc-en|t|ə|ˈ|h|æ|tʃ|ə|p|i}}; [[Kawaiisu]]: ''Tihachipia'', meaning "hard climb")<ref>[https://www.tehachapinews.com/visitor-guide/visitor-guide-what-does-tehachapi-mean/article_afd99b28-f930-11e6-b7e8-f3dbfe17b5ee.html Tehachapi News - Visitor Guide: What does 'Tehachapi' mean?]</ref><ref>[https://www.zocalopublicsquare.org/2016/02/11/meet-the-toughest-mountains-in-california/ideas/connecting-california/ Zócalo Public Square - Meet the Toughest Mountains in California]</ref> are a [[mountain range]] in the [[Transverse Ranges]] system of [[California]] in the [[Western United States]]. The range extends for approximately {{convert|40|mi|km}} in southern [[Kern County, California|Kern County]] and northwestern [[Los Angeles County, California|Los Angeles County]] and form part of the boundary between the [[San Joaquin Valley]] and the [[Mojave Desert]].

==Geography==
The Tehachapis form a geographic, [[Drainage divide|watershed]], [[habitat]], and [[rain shadow]] divide separating the [[San Joaquin Valley]] to the northwest and the [[Mojave Desert]] to the southeast. The Tehachapis' crest varies in height from approximately {{convert|4000|-|8000|ft|m}}. They are southeast of [[Bakersfield, California|Bakersfield]] and the [[Central Valley (California)|Central Valley]], and west of [[Mojave, California|Mojave]] and the [[Antelope Valley]].  The range runs southwest to northeast (SW-NE) connecting the Southern [[Sierra Nevada (U.S.)|Sierra Nevada]] range on their northeast with the [[San Emigdio Mountains]] on the west and [[Sierra Pelona Mountains]] on the southwest.

The Tehachapis are delineated from the San Emigdio Mountains by [[Tejon Pass]] at the range's western end. The dramatic incline of [[Interstate 5 in California|Interstate 5]] from the San Joaquin Valley floor up to the pass, is regionally referred to as ''The Grapevine'', after Grapevine Canyon which it follows between the northern slopes of the two mountain ranges and is sometimes extended to include the portion of Interstate 5 on the southern side of Tejon Pass, especially during snow closures. <!-- OK, folks. . .  (dated ?) please don't edit this paragraph saying The Grapevine's name comes from the winding road, OK?  I've thoroughly debunked that, and so has [[User:Lucky 6.9]] with me. Thanks. --> The canyon was named after [[native plant|native]] grapevines, the [[Vitis californica|California grapevine (''Vitis californica'')]], found at [[Spring (hydrosphere)|spring]]s on its slopes. The [[California State Water Project]] is to the east, with the [[California Aqueduct]] pumped by the [[Edmonston Pumping Plant]] over/through the Tehachapis to [[Castaic Lake]] reservoir.

The Tehachapis are delineated from the Sierra Pelona Mountains by [[California State Route 138]] at the range's southwestern end, connecting Interstate 5 and the Antelope Valley.

The Tehachapis are delineated from the Sierra Nevada by [[Tehachapi Pass]] and [[California State Route 58|State Route 58]] at the range's northeastern end, connecting the San Joaquin Valley and Mojave Desert. The [[Union Pacific]] north/south railroad line, with the famous [[Tehachapi Loop]], crosses here also. The [[Tehachapi Pass Wind Farm]] is on its eastern side.

The Tehachapis, though neither as long or high as other California mountain ranges, are often considered the topographic feature that separates this part of [[Northern California]] from [[Southern California]],<ref>{{cite book|last=Gunther|first=John|author-link=John Gunther|title=[[Inside U.S.A. (book)|Inside U.S.A.]]|pages=3–4|location=[[New York City|New York]], [[London]]|publisher=[[Harper & Brothers]]|year=1947}}</ref> with the geographic boundary often being [[Kern County, California|Kern County]].  Some historians consider that California averted a potential split into two separate states – "North California" and "South California" – from the early 20th century [[Ridge Route]] construction, the first highway crossing these mountains to connect the [[Greater Los Angeles Area|Greater Los Angeles]] and San Joaquin Valley regions.<ref>Note: there have been two occasions in California state history, in 1860 and 1965, when the split into two separate states was proposed in the state legislature, both using the crest of the Tehachapi Mountains as the new border, and both proposals failing.</ref>

==Geology==
The Tehachapis are largely the result of the movements of the [[Garlock Fault]], located along the southeastern base of the range, a major [[transform fault]] which runs from the [[San Andreas Fault]] in the west to the [[Sierra Nevada Fault]] on the east and some distance beyond.  This [[Fault (geology)|earthquake fault]] is unusual in California in that it is a left-lateral fault — meaning that if one stands facing the fault, the land on the opposite side moves to the left — opposite to most of the state's faults which are right-lateral faults.

==Natural history==
[[File:California's mountain barrier.png|thumb|upright|left|The Tehachapi and [[Sierra Nevada|Sierra]] ranges form a significant barrier between [[bioregion]]s.]]
[[File:TejonWest.jpg|thumb|The [[California mixed evergreen forest]] plant community in the upper Tehachapi Mountains]]
[[File:Tehachapi Mountains from Grapevine.jpg|thumb|View of the Tehachapi Mountains from [[Interstate 5 in California|I-5]] as it descends into the [[Central Valley (California)|Central Valley]]]]
The  Tehachapi Mountains are a major and crucial [[wildlife corridor]] and plant habitat bridge linking the other Transverse Ranges and the [[California Coast Ranges]] on the west with the Sierra Nevada on the east. Their relative lack of development, especially in the large [[Tejon Ranch]] section, have allowed the continuity of these ecological functions to date.

===Flora===
The Tehachapis are primarily in the [[California interior chaparral and woodlands]] sub-[[ecoregion]], with native [[grassland]]s, [[California oak woodland]]s and [[oak savanna]] the predominant [[habitat]]s. The higher [[montane]] elevations include the [[California mixed evergreen forest]] [[plant community]].  Some of the [[chaparral]] woodland species include: [[Quercus chrysolepis|canyon live oak (''Quercus chrysolepis'')]], [[Quercus lobata|valley oak (''Quercus lobata'')]], [[Quercus douglasii|blue oak (''Quercus douglasii'')]], and [[Pinus sabiniana|gray pine (''Pinus sabiniana'')]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?195,210,232|title=UC/JEPS: Jepson Manual treatment for PINUS sabiniana|website=ucjeps.berkeley.edu|access-date=19 April 2018}}</ref>

Montane species include: [[Quercus kelloggii|black oak (''Quercus kelloggii'')]], [[Pinus coulteri|Coulter pine (''Pinus coulteri'')]], [[Calocedrus|incense cedar (''Calocedrus decurrens'')]], [[Abies concolor|white fir (''Abies concolor'')]], and in a few remote locations small stands of [[Populus tremuloides|quaking aspen (''Populus tremuloides'')]].<ref>The American Journal of Science; By Yale University Dept. of Geology and Geophysics; Published by J.D. & E.S. Dana, 1940</ref>

The [[Leptosiphon nudatus|Tehachapi linanthus (''Leptosiphon nudatus'')]] is a [[phlox]] plant species [[endemism|endemic]] to [[chaparral]] habitat in the Tehachapi Mountains and the southern Sierra Nevada.  The [[Packera ionophylla|Tehachapi ragwort (''Packera ionophylla'')]] is an [[aster (genus)|aster]] plant species [[endemism|endemic]] to forest habitat in the Tehachapis and eastern Transverse Ranges. The [[Eriogonum callistum|Tehachapi buckwheat (''Eriogonum callistum'')]] is known only from the chaparral of the Tehachapis.<ref>[http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/NatureServe?searchName=Eriogonum+callistum The Nature Conservancy: ''E. callistum'']</ref>

===Fauna===
The [[Tehachapi slender salamander]] is [[endemism|endemic]] to the Tehachapi Mountains and a listed [[vulnerable species]]. The [[white-eared pocket mouse]] is [[endemism|endemic]] to the Tehachapis and [[San Bernardino Mountains]] and a listed [[endangered species]].

There are at least 107 bird species, including the [[Steller's jay]] and [[mountain chickadee]], found in the Tehachapis,<ref>{{cite web|title=Tehachapi Sightings|date=December 2010|first=Jean|last=Moore|work=Tehachapi Mountain Birding Club|url=http://www.tehachapibirdclub.com/sightings/monthly-sightings/296-tehachapi-sightings-dec-10.html}}</ref> many which consume acorns of the black oak (''Quercus kelloggii'') as part of their diet.<ref>{{cite web|first=C. Michael|last=Hogan|year=2008|title=Quercus kelloggii|work=Globaltwitcher|editor=N. Stromberg|url=http://www.globaltwitcher.com/artspec_information.asp?thingid=82385|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120213134008/http://www.globaltwitcher.com/artspec_information.asp?thingid=82385|archive-date=2012-02-13}}</ref> Other flora found here include the [[Purshia tridentata|buckbrush]] and [[mountain mahogany]].  The notable [[Bird of prey|raptor]] is the [[California condor]], a [[critically endangered species]].  As in many California mountains, larger fauna includes: [[mule deer]], [[mountain lion]], [[coyote]], [[fox]], [[American black bear|black bear]], [[domestic pig|feral pig]], [[bobcat]] and [[raccoon]].

The Tehachapi Mountains are also the only known breeding site prior to 1860 of the [[jaguar]] in the United States. The big cats were found there as recently as the late 1800s.<ref name=Seton>{{cite journal |title=Is the Jaguar Entitled to a Place in the California Fauna? |author=Merriam, C. Hart |journal=Journal of Mammalogy |year=1919|volume=1|pages=38–40 |doi=10.1093/jmammal/1.1.38}}</ref>

===Climate===
[[File:Muir Woods National Monument Road Trip (33983009688).jpg|thumb|Winter snowfall on the southwestern slopes of the Tehachapi Mountains]]
The range includes and is the boundary between the [[xeric]] Mojave Desert and Mediterranean [[climate zone]]s, and includes the [[subalpine zone]].  The majority of the range is in the Mediterranean climate zone, receiving precipitation in the winter similar to the neighboring Transverse Ranges in the [[Los Padres National Forest|Los Padres]] and [[Angeles National Forest]]s to the west and southwest. They create a [[rain shadow]] for the eastern foothills [[ecotone]] into the Mojave climate zone that typically receives only a few inches of precipitation a year, usually in winter.  Summer [[monsoon]] season can bring localized rains to the higher subalpine parts of the range.  The wettest slopes receive about 20–25 inches of precipitation a year, some in the form of snow.

The prevailing wind is northwesterly, funneling up the east–west [[canyons]] from the San Joaquin Valley into the [[valleys]], upper canyons, and passes of the Tehachapi range with regularity.  The [[Tehachapi Wind Resource Area]] exists due to this. To the northwest lies the [[San Joaquin Valley]] with its [[grassland]]s and oak savanna climbing the broad western slopes of the range.  The Tehachapis collect marine and valley moisture, which piles up into fog that blankets the windward sides of the range many weeks of the year.   The higher north-facing slopes are [[California mixed evergreen forest|mixed evergreen forest]], while the south-facing are [[California chaparral and woodlands|chaparral and woodlands]], typical of the relationship between the cooler moisture-retaining northern slopes and the exposed warmer and drier southern slopes. Canyons can have year-round [[surface water]] flow, even on southern slopes, from springs and [[orographic]] enhancements bringing extra precipitation and snow from passing storms.

==History==
[[Image:20050101 Tehachapi Windmills 04 pano.jpg|thumb|upright=1.6|The eastern Tehachapi foothills:<br />panoramic view with the [[Tehachapi Pass Wind Farm]]]]
The origin of the name Tehachapi may come from the [[Kawaiisu language]], derived from the word '' "tihachipia" '' translated as "hard climb".<ref>[http://www.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=610 Tomo-Kahni Resource Center] . accessed 12.12.2010</ref><br />
The historic [[Indigenous peoples of California]] with homelands in the Tehachapi Mountains were the:
*[[Kitanemuk]]
*[[Kawaiisu]]<ref>http://www.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=610 Tomo-Kahni/Kawaiisu . accessed 12.12.2010</ref>
*[[Serrano people]]

The historic [[Ranchos of California|Mexican land grant]]s in the Tehachapis are:
*[[Rancho El Tejon]] (1843)
*[[Rancho Castac]] (1843)
*[[Rancho La Liebre]] (1846)
*[[Rancho Los Alamos y Agua Caliente]] (1846)
All four Tehachapi ranchos were acquired over 1855 to 1866 and combined by [[Edward Fitzgerald Beale|Edward Beale]]. As the [[Tejon Ranch]] it stayed in the family until sold by [[Truxtun Beale]] 1912. The purchase was by a [[Harry Chandler]]—[[Moses Sherman]] lead syndicate of land investors, and became a public company in 1936. Tejon Ranch is still one of the largest private landholdings in the state, and currently an undeveloped agricultural and wildland entity. The Tejon Ranch corporation has recently proposed major new developments in portions of the Tehachapi Mountains, including the [[Tejon Mountain Village]] and [[Centennial, California]] planned urban center.

==Historic sites==
*[[Oak Creek Pass]] – Indian trail in the Tehachapis; [[Francisco Garces]] was first European to use the pass in 1776
*[[Fort Tejon]]: 1854 fort, with the nearby former 1854 [[Chumash people|Chumash]] Sebastian Indian Reservation. Now Fort Tejon State Historic Park in the Tejon Pass area.
*[[1857 Fort Tejon earthquake]] – [[moment magnitude scale|moment magnitude]] of 7.9, average slip along the fault was {{convert|4.5|m|ft|sp=us}}
*Monolith Cement Works: supplied [[concrete]] for the construction of [[Hoover Dam]] and other major public works; east of Tehachapi Pass.
* [[Old Tejon Pass]] – Another ancient native trail, used by [[Pedro Fages]] in 1772 and [[Jedediah Smith]] in 1827.

==Peaks==
* [[Double Mountain (California)|Double Mountain]] 7,981&nbsp;ft (2,433 m)
* Tehachapi Mountain 7,960+ ft (2,426+ m)
* Covington Mountain 7,877 ft (2,401 m)
* [[Cummings Mountain (California)|Cummings Mountain]] 7,760+ ft (2,365+ m)
* [[Bear Mountain (Kern County, California)|Bear Mountain]] 6,920+ ft (2,109+ m)
* Black Mountain 5,686&nbsp;ft (1,733 m)
* Grapevine Peak 4,815&nbsp;ft (1,468 m)

==See also==
* [[Tehachapi, California]]
* [[Tejon Hills]]
* [[Tejon Ranch Radar Cross Section Facility]]
* [[Path 26]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Commons category|Tehachapi Mountains}}

==External links==
*[http://www.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=610 Tomo-Kahni State Historic Park website] – ''with the [[Kawaiisu]] Native American Village''

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Tehachapi Mountains| ]]
[[Category:Transverse Ranges]]
[[Category:Mountain ranges of Kern County, California]]
[[Category:Mountain ranges of Los Angeles County, California]]
[[Category:Mountain ranges of Southern California]]<!---as defining range-->
[[Category:Mountain ranges of the Mojave Desert]]
[[Category:Geography of the San Joaquin Valley]]
[[Category:Geology of Kern County, California]]
[[Category:Geology of Los Angeles County, California]]
[[Category:Mountain ranges of California]]