Sierra de Juárez

For the range of the same name in Oaxaca, see Sierra Juárez, Oaxaca.

Snow in the Sierra Juarez

Sierra de Juárez is a mountain range on the Baja California Peninsula, of Baja California, Mexico. It is part of the Peninsular Ranges. The Laguna Mountains of California lie to the north and the Sierra San Pedro Mártir lies to the south.

It is also the location of the southern tip of the Great Basin Divide at the triple watershed point (31.460736°N 115.508709°W / 31.460736; -115.508709 for the Great Basin and two watersheds of the peninsula's west and east slopes.

Climate and ecology

The western flank of the range lies at the southeastern extremity of the Mediterranean climate region that extends across much of California and into northwestern Baja California. The lower slopes of the western flank are covered chiefly by chaparral. The Sonoran Desert lies to the east. The higher elevations of the range, together with the higher elevations of the Sierra San Pedro Mártir, are home to the Sierra Juarez and San Pedro Martir pine-oak forests. The Constitution 1857 National Park protects part of the range. The Sierra Juarez is near the southern limit of the distribution of the California Fan Palm, Washingtonia filifera.

References

• C. Michael Hogan. 2009. California Fan Palm: Washingtonia filifera. GlobalTwitcher.com, ed. Nicklas Stromberg
• National Geographic. 2001. Sierra Juarez and Sierra Pedro Martir Pine-oak Forests
• http://www.astronautix.com/sites/sieuarez.htm