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The landscape was formed over a million years ago by erosion and is now home to some of the most unique rock formations in the world.
As the Park Service is quick to note, Joshua Tree's "geology shows the effects of plate tectonics, volcanism, mountain-building, and stark erosion. With elevations ranging from 900 feet to over 5,000 feet above sea level, the park is home to a diversity of biological communities found nowhere else in such proximity. Sand dunes, dry lakes, flat valleys, extraordinarily rugged mountains, granitic monoliths, and oases are all found within its nearly 800,000 acres."
Geologic fault zones are key to Joshua Tree, for they bring life-saving water to the surface in the form of springs. These springs, in turn, create oases that nourish vegetation and wildlife. The Pinto Mountain Fault wraps the northwestern lobe of the park, the San Andreas Fault undercuts the southern boundary, and the Blue Cut Fault traverses the center of the park from west to east.
As the Park Service is quick to note, Joshua Tree's "geology shows the effects of plate tectonics, volcanism, mountain-building, and stark erosion. With elevations ranging from 900 feet to over 5,000 feet above sea level, the park is home to a diversity of biological communities found nowhere else in such proximity. Sand dunes, dry lakes, flat valleys, extraordinarily rugged mountains, granitic monoliths, and oases are all found within its nearly 800,000 acres."
Geologic fault zones are key to Joshua Tree, for they bring life-saving water to the surface in the form of springs. These springs, in turn, create oases that nourish vegetation and wildlife. The Pinto Mountain Fault wraps the northwestern lobe of the park, the San Andreas Fault undercuts the southern boundary, and the Blue Cut Fault traverses the center of the park from west to east.