Talk:Mojave Desert/Archive 1

Coachella valley preserve
Tim Shell, I appreciate your fine photography recently added to this article. However, with all due respect, according to my own personal knowledge (and after checking around some other intenet sites) it's actually located in the Colorado Desert aka Low Desert in the Palm Springs area. Would you like to place your photo in one of those locations (I'd recommend Colorado Desert) before too long? I'll wait for your reply before taking any action. Thanks! --avnative 13:41, Aug 6, 2004 (UTC)


 * Go ahead and move it where you think it belongs - since I'm apparently not sure. User:TimShell

Um, guys, the Cocahella Valley is actually located in the Sonoran Desert. A map is here Map of the Sonoran Desert-- it's a common mistake people make. CrazyJae

Dimensions
The Mojave ... occupies a significant portion of Southern California and parts of Utah, Nevada, Oregon and Arizona Oregon??? I can't believe this. Lars August 10, 2005
 * Believe it (but not the Oregon part). I llve in the Mojave and I can tell you climatically and horticulturally, there are similarities in lands just south of Goldfield, Nevada, just west of Kingman, Arizona and just west of St. George, Utah.  They all look the same.  There's a reason!  They are all part of the same Mojave Desert climate and ecosystem.  Furthermore, I've read a book on the subject from the Palmdale City Library which mapped out the Mojave Desert to reflect the fact that parts of Nevada, Utah and Arizona are part of the Mojave Desert along with a good part of Southern California.  I'd be glad to retrieve it again and cite it for this article, if you still beg to differ.  Thanks. --avnative 06:10, September 4, 2005 (UTC)


 * Noticed, that Oregon was added recenttly by an IP. I reverted that. Lars August 10, 2005
 * Good job! --avnative 06:10, September 4, 2005 (UTC)

Paris, Texas
Travis is found in the Texas desert, not the Mojave. I believe a few scenes were shot in the Cabazon, CA area (which is technically not the Mojave desert, either), but the primary filming locations for the desert scenes were in Texas. The car journey- a trip from the Texas/Mexico border to Los Angeles- mentioned in the article takes places mostly through Texas, New Mexico, and southern Arizona. I'm going to go ahead and remove the reference, as the film has little to do with the Mojave at all. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.2.192.152 (talk) 18:35, June 13, 2006 (UTC)

Nevada desert
Is there a geographicall term Nevada Desert? I see quite a few places writing about the Nevada desert. Some places are clearly mistaken in that they clearly speak about the Mojave Desert (e.g., those that write about nuke tests).

Any comments? `'mikka (t) 00:20, 28 June 2006 (UTC)

You're right. "Nevada desert" is just plain speaking. Not a scientific term. Shouldn't be anyway.

Most of Nevada is part of the Great Basin Desert. Burning Man is held north of Reno, and is in the Great Basin Desert.

Las Vegas, on the other hand is part of the Mojave Desert.

The Nevada Test Site, where I think most of the atomic testing took place is only an hour north of Las Vegas. Near Ellis Airforce Base. I'm not sure where the deserts meet.

The main difference I know of the two deserts is that along the 15 which crosses the Mojave there is plant life. Joshua Trees and tons of smaller brush. There are large rocks, which driving by, look like pumice.

Along the 80,(From Reno to the grayish horizon) there is smallish vegetation. In long stretches nothing more than cracked, parched dirt.

Metra 23:59, 4 September 2006 (UTC)


 * In the contexts where I've seen it, "Nevada desert" is a convenient informal term that just means "any desert in Nevada" - avoids needing to figure out whether Yucca Mountain is in the Mojave Desert, which parts of Nevada are Great Basin Desert vs generic sagebrush steppe, etc. Stan 01:52, 5 September 2006 (UTC)

Just another thing to add to the "fictional" section, some places in Heroes are in the "Nevada Desert" like scenes with Niki, D.L. and Ted. Able to be put in? It wasn't very specific. 211.30.223.128 08:41, 30 April 2007 (UTC)

Initial Assessment per proj wiki california
Strong B page with NPOV. could easily reach GA status, but needs a little expansion, maybe some more history and definitely more refs. Anlace 23:29, 24 October 2006 (UTC)

This article is so full of holes. Get a clue.

An idiotic piece of work. Where are the references? Don't tell me you're that smart with so many errors. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.254.135.244 (talk) 16:35, 31 October 2007 (UTC)

B Class criteria
Can someone review the grammar? If this is OK, then you can change the Nevada assessment to yes for that. While the inline references are light, they are OK for a B class article. So if anyone wants to add a few more, feel free. Vegaswikian (talk) 22:04, 26 April 2010 (UTC)

Geography/Topography
Not being familiar with the internal topography of the Mojave Desert at all, a section on what landforms lie within its borders, not just along them, would be useful: things such as mountain ranges, major waterways (if any), canyons, buttes, etc. It would help make the Mojave come alive for the reader. The list of plants and animals is nice, but being able to "see" where they live makes it so much more real. Just a thought. Jhml 16:33, 10 September 2007 (UTC)


 * Just an addition to the above post: I realize there is some geographical stuff scattered in the article, but it is too important a thing to get the brief coverage that this article does. Jhml 16:38, 10 September 2007 (UTC)


 * Saw this old post & added to article;
 * Specific articles are within:


 * Category: Mountain ranges of the Mojave Desert
 * Category: Valleys of the Mojave Desert
 * Category: Lakes of the Mojave Desert
 * Not sure if best answer-edit, please add, alter, delete...---Cheers--- Look2See1  t a l k →  18:23, 31 August 2010 (UTC)

No image at the top of the page?
Is this a new thing, to not have any image at all visible on the first screen of the article? I don't understand the reasoning for having an all-text first screen for a geographical location with a wealth of relevant visuals. Stan (talk) 01:23, 5 November 2011 (UTC)

In Fiction section
The Mojave has been used for so many movie and video game locations, our Article will become a commercial for Hollywood. The movies in question in "their" article, could mention the filming locations; but not the other way around. I'd like to remove the "In Fiction" section completely. It will eventually get out of control. If anyone has an opinion, please reply. If there are no objections within a few weeks, I will delete the section. Thanks, Pocketthis (talk) 01:39, 14 December 2012 (UTC)

Palmdale needs to be added
Palmdale, CA needs to be added as one of the cities in the Mojave. It's right next to Lancaster (the area is often referred to as "Lancaster-Palmdale") and the two cities together make up a population of about 300,000 people. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.119.151.233 (talk) 05:27, 18 December 2013 (UTC)


 * Done. You are correct. Lancaster and Palmdale have approx. the same population, so I added it. Thanks-Pocketthis (talk) 03:02, 19 December 2013 (UTC)

Current new News (industry comes to the desert w/ solar power)
$2.2billion solar power plant is the first of three for the desert.

Headline-1: Shining a light on the future of energy: Awe-inspiring images of world’s biggest solar farm which produces enough power for 140,000 California homes - and they’re not done building yet QUOTE: "Even as America dashes to frack its picturesque landscape, energy officials in the country are finding greener alternatives beef up the nation's energy security. These incredible pictures show the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System in the Mojave Desert near the border between California and Nevada. It opened earlier this month after years of regulatory and legal wrangling, which ranged from relocating protected tortoises to assessing the impact on Mojave milkweed, and is now generating enough green power for 140,000 homes. Now federal officials have announced two more massive solar power plants in the sun-soaked desert, a move which ironically has angered environmentalists who fear the impact that the facilities will have on the area's ecosystem. They have also expressed concern after it emerged that birds flying past the site were bursting into flames from the heat. Solar thermal plants like the Ivanpah complex and the two new ones proposed use hundreds of thousands of computer controlled mirrors to focus sunlight on boilers which sit on tall towers. The concentrated rays boil water which becomes steam which drives turbines to create electricity with no carbon emissions. Scroll down for video" -- [There are 19 amazing pictures, one video, and one map showing tie energy plant is actually in California, on the CA-NV border.] AstroU (talk) 13:26, 6 May 2014 (UTC) -- PS:FYI for future editing.
 * http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2564700/Shining-light-future-energy-Awe-inspiring-images-world-s-biggest-solar-farm-produces-power-140-000-California-homes-not-building-yet.html

Headline-2: HUGE THERMAL PLANT OPENS AS SOLAR INDUSTRY GROWS QUOTE: "Some of the 300,000 computer-controlled mirrors, each about 7 feet high and 10 feet wide, reflect sunlight to boilers that sit on 459-foot towers. The sun's power is used to heat water in the boilers' tubes and make steam, which in turn drives turbines to create electricity Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2014 in Primm, Nev. The Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System, sprawling across roughly 5 square miles of federal land near the California-Nevada border, will be opened formally Thursday after years of regulatory and legal tangles. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson) Prev 10 of 10 Next PRIMM, Nev. (AP) — A windy stretch of the Mojave Desert once roamed by tortoises and coyotes has been transformed by hundreds of thousands of mirrors into the largest solar power plant of its type in the world, a milestone for a growing industry that is testing the balance between wilderness conservation and the pursuit of green energy across the West. The Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System, sprawling across roughly 5 square miles of federal land near the California-Nevada border, formally opens Thursday after years of regulatory and legal tangles ranging from relocating protected tortoises to assessing the impact on Mojave milkweed and other plants. The $2.2 billion complex of three generating units, owned by NRG Energy Inc., Google Inc. and BrightSource Energy, can produce nearly 400 megawatts — enough power for 140,000 homes. It began making electricity last year. Larger projects are on the way, but for now, Ivanpah (EYE'-ven-pah) is being described as a marker for the United States' emerging solar industry." -- AstroU (talk) 14:23, 6 May 2014 (UTC) -- PS:FYI for future editing.
 * http://bigstory.ap.org/article/huge-thermal-plant-opens-solar-industry-grows


 * Sounds like a great section addition for this article. I live in the Mohave Desert, and there is hardly a day with a cloud. Perfect place for Solar. Sounds like a winner for this article, and those benefiting from the solar power. There shouldn't be too much conversation needed here to allow this section to be added. Green light here. Thanks-Pocketthis (talk) 16:42, 6 May 2014 (UTC)

Units
I know the US is reluctant to join the 21st century but there are too many imperial units used on this page. It is a scientific page and should therefore be in metric units with the old out-dated impaerial units in brackets if required. Although its not really needed as the entire globe now uses metric with the exception of the US. For instance Clarke Mountain is 2,416m high. I now it doesn't sound as high as 7,929ft but trust me it is.

Since it is in the US, we should start with American units. Possibly Metric can be added and bracketed, unless it is a biological treatise.68.231.189.108 (talk) 15:36, 27 October 2009 (UTC)


 * A page on a desert is "scientific"? Kind of a stretch. Anyway, this has been debated to death already, and your note isn't going to magically change anybody's minds. Stan 17:13, 29 September 2006 (UTC)
 * "I know the US is reluctant to join the 21st century" What an idiot. That statement alone is proof enough that nothing you have to say could be remotely important enough to listen to. Besides that, grow a pair and sign with a username. MagnoliaSouth (talk) 21:05, 16 June 2014 (UTC)

More of an almanac reference, rather than an encyclopedic entry.
This article reads more like an almanac to me. 'Here's a list of animals and a list of museums and a list of cities and list of parks and a list of whatever else comes to mind.' I just don't feel that it's encyclopedic at all. There no section on its pre-history nor theories on how it became a desert nor why the temperature is so hot there vs. other deserts and so on. It's just a bunch of lists. Normally I complain about Wikipedia's strict adherence to anti-almanacism (so to speak) but this one stands out as an exception. This one is overly almanac-istic. Were I a scholar on the subject, I'd work on it but I have no knowledge except that I've been there. In fact, that's how I got here. I was wanting to learn about it. Unfortunately I learned nothing new. Any takers willing to tackle it? MagnoliaSouth (talk) 21:27, 16 June 2014 (UTC)

Great Mojave Desert pictures
Thanks for a great article. -- Charles Edwin Shipp (talk) 12:38, 19 August 2014 (UTC)