Mojave Desert Landscape
The Mojave Desert is generally between 3,000 and 6,000 feet (1,000 and 2,000 m) above sea level, but some places are much higher or lower. For example, the elevation at Charleston Peak is 11,918 feet (3,633 m) and Badwater in Death Valley is 282 feet (86 m) below sea level. Because of these differences in elevation, there is a great variation in temperatures and rainfall across the region, in all seasons.
The region has salt flats in the center. These flats are surrounded by rocky, dry mountains and canyons, plains of sand and gravel, and long slopes or bajadas. New bajadas are still being formed by storms. Wind and rain push rocks out of the canyons and deposit on top of them a layer of gravel and smaller rocks, covered in clay. This top layer is called desert pavement, and over time, cacti and creosote bush grow in it.
The Mojave River runs underground in the area and the Colorado River runs through the desert in the east. These are the most important source of water in the Mojave.
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