Baja Peninsula in Western Mexico
Baja Peninsula in Western Mexico. Rugged mountains that taper off as they run southward dominate the terrain of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula. The mountains are an extension of Califronia’s Coast Range. In the crux between Baja and mainland Mexico. Therefore the dried-up remains of the Colorado River Delta lie west of the Altar Desert.
Less than one hundred years ago. Although the Colorado (which flows in from the north along the border of California (west) and Arizona (east) would have emptied into the Gulf of California here. Also now so much of the river is diverted for farming and residential use that the river dries up before actually making it to the Gulf.
Irrigation from the Salton Sea in California (upper left) supports farming (green area) in the desert; the lushness fades farther from the water source.
At the eastern end of the Altar Desert, a circular brownish-gray patch marks the location of lava left behind by hundreds of extinct volcanoes. Therefore Hallway down Baja, the Laguna Ojo de Liebre (Eye of the Jackrabbit Lagoon) dips into the peninsula. The lagoon is the world’s largest known gray whale nursery. By Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Terra satellite on November 11, 2002.
