Sierra Madre (California)

This article is about mountain range in California. For city in Los Angeles County, see Sierra Madre, California.
Sierra Madre
Sierra Madre as seen from across the Cuyama Valley
Highest point
PeakPeak Mountain[1]
Elevation1,781 m (5,843 ft)
Coordinates34°54′7.53″N 119°51′31.45″W / 34.9020917°N 119.8587361°W / 34.9020917; -119.8587361
Geography
Sierra Madre is located in California
Sierra Madre
Sierra Madre
location of Sierra Madre in California[2]
CountryUnited States
StateCalifornia
DistrictSanta Barbara County
Range coordinates34°54′7.927″N 119°51′31.495″W / 34.90220194°N 119.85874861°W / 34.90220194; -119.85874861
Topo mapUSGS Peak Mountain
Geology
Type of rockCalifornia Coast Ranges

The Sierra Madre (Spanish for "mother range") is a mountain range in southwestern California. It forms the southernmost part of the California Coast Ranges and lies mostly in Santa Barbara County, with a small portion extending into Ventura County. The Sierra Madre has a northwest-to-southeast orientation, bordered on the north and northeast by the Cuyama River and Cuyama Valley, and on the south and east by the drainage of the Sisquoc River.[3]

Before the middle of the twentieth century, the term "Sierra Madre" referred to the portion of the Transverse Ranges north of the Los Angeles Basin, now known as the San Gabriel Mountains.[4] In 1965, the United States Board of Geographic Names assigned the name Sierra Madre to the range in Santa Barbara County.[3]

  1. ^ "Peak Mountain". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2023-10-31.
  2. ^ "Sierra Madre". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2023-10-31.
  3. ^ a b Cliff, Edward P. (Chairman) (1965). Decisions on Geographic Names in the United States. United States Board of Geographic Names. Washington, D.C.: United States Department of the Interior. p. 15.
  4. ^ Fairbanks, Harold W. (1901). The Physiography of California. Winona, MN: Jones & Kroeger Printers. p. 25.