What Are Some of the Major Landforms in Nevada?
Three major landforms in Nevada are the Great Basin, the Mojave Desert and the Sierra Nevada. The Colorado, Humboldt and Truckee are the state’s major rivers. Nevada’s major lakes include Pyramid Lake, Lake Mead, Lake Tahoe, Lake Mojave and Walker Lake.
Spanning an area of 110,567 miles, Nevada is America’s seventh largest state. In addition to valleys, beaches and natural arches the state has three major landforms that are familiar to many.
The Great Basin encompasses nearly the entire state and consists of a dropped valley bordered by mountain ranges. The valley eventually filled with sediments that eroded from the mountains over a period of time. The highest point in Nevada, Wheeler Peak, is located in the Great Basin and reaches a height of 13,063 feet.
The Mojave Desert is located between the Great Basin Desert in the north and the Sonoran Desert in the south. It is located in the southern part of the state and is part of the Range and Basin province. The Joshua tree is one of the types of vegetation found in this desert.
The Sierra Nevada is a mountain chain found on the western-central border of the state. The chain stretches for 400 miles, most of which is in California. The eastern side of the Sierra Nevada borders the Great Basin.
