Northern Basin and Range ecoregion

This article is about the ecoregion designated by the EPA. For the associated geographical feature, see Great Basin.
Northern Basin and Range ecoregion
Salt deposits at Summer Lake
Northern Basin and Range (80)
Ecology
RealmNearctic
Borders
List
Geography
CountryUnited States
States
  • Oregon
  • Idaho
  • Nevada
  • Utah
  • California
Coordinates43°N 117°W / 43°N 117°W / 43; -117

The Northern Basin and Range ecoregion is a Level III ecoregion designated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the U.S. states of Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, and California. It contains dissected lava plains, rolling hills, alluvial fans, valleys, and scattered mountain ranges in the northern part of the Great Basin. Although arid, the ecoregion is higher and cooler than the Snake River Plain to the north and has more available moisture and a cooler climate than the Central Basin and Range to the south. Its southern boundary is determined by the highest shoreline of Pleistocene Lake Bonneville, which once inundated the Central Basin and Range. The western part of the region is internally drained; its eastern stream network drains to the Snake River system.[1][2][3][4]

The valleys support sagebrush steppe or saltbush vegetation. Mollisol soils are common, in contrast to the aridisols of the Central Basin. Juniper-dominated woodland occurs on rugged, stony uplands. The mountain ranges are covered in mountain sagebrush, Idaho fescue, Douglas-fir, subalpine forests, or aspen. Today, most of the region is used for livestock grazing. Dryland and irrigated cropland are found in some areas, but in general the soils are less suitable for agriculture than those in the Columbia Plateau and the Snake River Plain ecoregions. Most public lands in the region are managed by the Bureau of Land Management.[1][2][3][4]

The Northern Basin and Range ecoregion has been subdivided into fourteen Level IV ecoregions, as described below. Level IV mapping is not yet complete in California, and the information below includes only the sections in Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, and Utah.

  1. ^ a b Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from Thorson, TD; Bryce, SA; Lammers, DA; et al. Ecoregions of Oregon (PDF). United States Geological Survey. (color poster with map, descriptive text, summary tables, and photographs; with a Reverse side).
  2. ^ a b Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from McGrath, CL; Woods, AJ; Omernik, JM; et al. Ecoregions of Idaho (PDF). United States Geological Survey. (color poster with map, descriptive text, summary tables, and photographs; with a Reverse side).
  3. ^ a b Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from Bryce, SA; Woods, AJ; Morefield, JD; et al. Ecoregions of Nevada (PDF). United States Geological Survey. (color poster with map, descriptive text, summary tables, and photographs; with a Reverse side).
  4. ^ a b Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from Woods, AJ; Lammers, DA; Bryce, SA; et al. Ecoregions of Utah (PDF). United States Geological Survey. (color poster with map, descriptive text, summary tables, and photographs; with a Reverse side).