California Trough
- Also Known As: Central Valley
| Physiographic | Type | AsNotedIn |
|---|---|---|
| Sacremento Valley | Valley | |
| San Joaquin Valley | Valley |
California's Central Valley resembles a great elongate bath tub. Its present, remarkably flat surface consists largely of material eroded from the rising Sierra Nevada and Coast Ranges to the east and west, respectively, and deposited in low alluvial fans. On more than one occasion the valley impounded a large lake, which left behind a veneer of muddy deposits. About 650000 years ago, rising waters of the most recent lake carved a gap through the mountain range to the west and drained into the Pacific Ocean through a low pass just south of the city of San Francisco. - USGS
| Physiography | |
|---|---|
| Physiographic Region | Physiographic Section |
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