Arizona transition zone

For the Earth's mantle zone, see Transition zone.

Simplified Arizona geographic regions.

The Arizona transition zone, or Transition zone is a diagonal northwest-by-southeast region across north central Arizona. The region is a transition from the higher elevation Colorado Plateau to the northeast in Arizona, (the Navajo Nation and Northeast Arizona), and the southwest and south regions of lower elevation deserts. Northwest Arizona transitions to the higher elevation Mojave Desert of southern California, Nevada and Utah, with an indicator species of Joshua trees and other species, and southwestwards regions of the Sonoran Desert, along the Lower Colorado River Valley; in Arizona's south, all of central and eastern desert Sonoran Desert regions merge southwards into Sonora Mexico. The transition zone and the White Mountains extend into western New Mexico where the north-south continental divide occurs.

Geography

The transition zone is dominated by the Mogollon Plateau at the southern edge of the Coconino Plateau of the Flagstaff region and the San Francisco volcanic field; the Mogollon Rim borders the plateau which extends from Oak Creek Canyon on the west, to the east at the highest elevations of Arizona in the central and western White Mountains.

List of mountain ranges of the Arizona transition zone

The Arizona transition zone map is similar to the yellow transition region shown above.

Central mountain ranges

• Black Hills (Yavapai County)
• Dripping Springs Mountains
• Limestone Hills (Arizona)

• Mazatzal Mountains
• New River Mountains
• Sierra Ancha
• Superstition Mountains

Western region ranges

• Aquarius Mountains
• Black Hills (Yavapai County)
• Black Mountains (Yavapai County)
• Bradshaw Mountains
• Date Creek Mountains
• Hieroglyphic Mountains
• Juniper Mountains
• McCloud Mountains

• Mohon Mountains
• Poachie Range
  • (Alamo Lake, Aguila Valley)
• Santa Maria Mountains
• Sierra Prieta
• Sullivan Buttes
• Vulture Mountains
• Weaver Mountains

Eastern region ranges

• Big Lue Mountains
• Black Hills (Greenlee County)
• Blackjack Mountains
• Gila Mountains (Graham County)
• Hayes Mountains
• Mescal Mountains

• Natanes Mountains
• Santa Teresa Mountains
• Sierra Aguilada-(New Mexico)
• White Mountains (Arizona)-(central-southern regions)

• 
  central area of White Mountains (Arizona)
• 
  desert regions
• 
  mountain ranges start south-southwest of the extensive Mogollon Rim

See also

• Arizona
• List of regions of Arizona

References

• Lucchitta, 2001. Hiking Arizona's Geology, Ivo Lucchitta, c 2001, Mountaineers's Books. 272 pages, 41 Hikes. (softcover, ISBN 0-89886-730-4)