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308:. Mean rainfall averages 25 to 30 inches (635 to 762 mm) a year, with nearly all rain falling during the wet season. Snow does fall on Mt. Vaca and Blue Ridge during unusually cold winters, but very seldom on the lower slopes. Temperatures range from lows of 40 to 50 °F (4 to 10 °C) during the wet season, to highs of over 100 °F (38 °C) during the dry season. Because almost all rain falls during the wet season, fire danger is particularly high during the hot summers and early fall.
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Where the Blue Ridge seemingly ends abruptly at Putah Creek Canyon, the mountains continue on the north side of the canyon as the Blue Ridge Range, which is topographically and geologically similar to the Vaca
Mountains. Because the canyon is difficult to distinguish from most vantage points on the
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habitats in canyons with year-round streams. Because of steep topography, the land is largely undeveloped and the native plants undisturbed. However, there is some agriculture in the lower foothills, with wine grapes on the west (Solano County) slopes, and fruit and nut orchards on the east (Yolo
665:
Graymer, R.W., Moring, B.C., Saucedo, G.J., Wentworth, C.M., Brabb, E.E. and
Knudsen, K.L. (2006), Geologic Map of the San Francisco Bay Region, United States Geological Survey, in cooperation with the California Geological Survey, Scientific Investigations Map
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at an elevation 2,818 feet (859 m) is the highest summit, and the high point of Solano County, but the backbone of the range is the Blue Ridge, a prominent ridgetop that maintains an elevation of over 1,900 feet (579 m) for several miles.
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reservoir, and Putah South Canal - an integrated project with more than 100 times the water storage capacity of Lake Curry - were completed in 1957-1958 on Putah Creek and currently provide irrigation water to many farms, vineyards and orchards.
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The Vaca
Mountains have a typical California climate with a cool wet season lasting from November to April, followed by a warm dry season. Because the Vacas are the easternmost of the Coast Ranges, they are subject to the
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The Vaca
Mountains are one of the most prominent landmarks of Solano County, with a steep ridge on the east side that rises abruptly 1,000 feet (305 m) or more above the foothills below. The range begins at
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built a dam at the northern end of Suisun Creek in 1926 to create the 10,700 acre-feet (13,198,256 m) Lake Curry reservoir, which served as a municipal water supply until 1992 when measured
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A view to the South in the
Northern Vaca Mountains. The Canyon in the foreground holds Wildhorse Creek which is one of the few principal streams in this mountain range.
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in the southern part of the range, at Putnam Peak in the middle part, and in Putah Creek Canyon at the northern terminus. This basalt dates at 15-16 ma, which makes it
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is also named. The Vacas, along with their partners the Pena family, were among the earliest
European settlers in the area, being the original holders of the 1843
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Canyon. The average width of the range is about 5.5 miles (9 km), with an area of 61,775 acres (250 km) that is mostly undeveloped.
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east side, the Vaca and Blue Ridge
Mountains present what appears to be a nearly continuous ridge line that defines the west margin of the
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Wildhorse Creek (pictured above) eventually drains this section of the Vaca
Mountains into Putah Creek below Monticello Dam.
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started in the Vaca
Mountains near Lake Hennessey. The fire burned over 315,000 acres (127,476 ha) in five counties.
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in age, so it is much younger than the Great Valley
Sequence. It is thought to represent remnants from an ancient
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County) slopes. Illicit marijuana growing operations are common on the Solano County side of the mountains.
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have eroded to create a steep escarpment on the west side with a much more gentle slope on the east side.
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developed at the heads of these fans. Because the sedimentary layers that make up the Vaca Mountains
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Mt. Vaca and the Blue Ridge, high points of Solano County, as seen from upper Suisun Valley.
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Stratigraphy of the Putnam Peak Basalt and Correlation to the Lovejoy Formation, California
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28:
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The Solano water story: a history of the Solano Irrigation District and the Solano Project
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The reasonably abundant winter rainfall results in a diverse assemblage of plants, with
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of 44,385 acres (180 km) that includes most of the southern part of the range.
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640:. M.A. thesis in Biology, California State University, Sacramento. pp. 16–23.
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598:. M.A. thesis in Biology, California State University, Sacramento. pp. 1–14.
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Geologic map of the Vaca Mountains showing east-dipping strata of the Cretaceous
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262:. The Vaca Mountains then trend 17.5 miles (28 km) to the north and end at
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724:. Davis, CA: Solano Irrigation District with Robert D. Kahn & Company, Inc
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eruption on the east side of the Sierra Nevada of an especially fluid flow of
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concentrations in the lake exceeded federal standards. The controversial
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people. The range is named for the Vaca family, after whom the city of
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693:"Vallejo willing to part with Lake Curry reservoir if price is right"
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streams, the most important being Suisun Creek on the west side, and
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that are thought to have been deposited in a deep-marine setting as
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in a broad, low-elevation saddle that also contains the city of
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is considerably less than in ranges to the west, such as the
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The original inhabitants of the Vaca Mountains were the
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that spread across a large part of central California.
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593:
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Field Guide: Great Valley Sequence, Sacramento Valley
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There are also isolated outcrops of prominent black
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410:rocks, the Putnam Peak Basalt, in particular near
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651:Ingersoll, R.V. & Dickinson, W.R. (1977).
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841:Mountain ranges of the San Francisco Bay Area
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675:
826:Mountain ranges of Solano County, California
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229:in north−central California, and divide the
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831:Mountain ranges of Yolo County, California
821:Mountain ranges of Napa County, California
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355:throughout most of the Vaca Mountains are
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638:A flora of the Vaca Mountains, California
596:A flora of the Vaca Mountains, California
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575:United States Department of the Interior
541:United States Department of the Interior
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225:. They represent the easternmost of the
197:that make up the core of the range. The
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612:Hydrology Manual: Chapter 2. Basic Data
395:parallel to the crest of the range and
387:that may represent the fill of ancient
846:Mountain ranges of Northern California
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521:
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201:Reservoir is at the top left corner.
680:. Calif. State University, Hayward.
609:Solano County Water Agency (1999).
566:Geographic Names Information System
532:Geographic Names Information System
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450:The Vaca Mountains contain several
339:(Toxicodendron) on the slopes, and
327:(Arctostaphylos) on the ridgetops,
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836:Geography of the Sacramento Valley
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93:location of the Vaca Mountains in
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782:
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691:Eberling, Barry (January 2009).
655:. Geological Society of America.
287:Climate, ecology and agriculture
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636:Willoughby, John Wendy (1981).
594:Willoughby, John Wendy (1981).
571:United States Geological Survey
537:United States Geological Survey
1:
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744:"Hennessey Fire Information"
697:Vallejo Independent Bulletin
281:Central Valley of California
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16:Mountain range in California
7:
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10:
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304:, which are closer to the
159:38.4001881°N 122.1060815°W
57:859 m (2,818 ft)
458:on the east. The city of
319:(Adenostoma), buckbrush (
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233:on their west, from the
209:are a mountain range in
164:38.4001881; -122.1060815
816:California Coast Ranges
223:California Coast Ranges
718:Rubin, Harold (1988).
676:Siegel, David (1988).
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383:. There is also minor
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361:Great Valley Sequence
256:Travis Air Force Base
195:Great Valley Sequence
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797:at Wikimedia Commons
502:In August 2020, the
399:down to east, these
335:trees (Quercus) and
460:Vallejo, California
302:Mayacamas Mountains
221:that is one of the
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227:Inner Coast Ranges
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39:Highest point
793:Media related to
389:submarine canyons
357:sedimentary rocks
277:Sacramento Valley
235:Sacramento Valley
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137:Range coordinates
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561:"Blue Ridge"
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385:conglomerate
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248:Suisun Marsh
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206:
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456:Putah Creek
294:rain shadow
264:Putah Creek
162: /
150:122°06′22″W
126:Napa County
805:Categories
772:Mount Vaca
580:2013-06-15
546:2009-05-04
510:References
365:Cretaceous
337:poison oak
329:grasslands
315:stands of
219:California
217:Counties,
147:38°24′01″N
117:California
95:California
47:Mount Vaca
753:17 August
621:17 August
489:Vacaville
452:perennial
412:Vacaville
373:sandstone
363:that are
325:manzanita
321:Ceanothus
313:chaparral
252:Fairfield
241:Geography
62:Geography
53:Elevation
766:See also
748:CAL FIRE
464:selenium
420:volcanic
408:basaltic
341:riparian
298:rainfall
268:Mt. Vaca
176:Topo map
703:10 June
479:History
416:Miocene
359:of the
353:Bedrock
348:Geology
317:chamise
106:Country
728:31 May
497:Mexico
485:Patwin
401:strata
393:strike
323:) and
215:Solano
122:Region
666:2918.
616:(PDF)
369:shale
331:with
114:State
755:2020
730:2013
705:2013
623:2009
424:lava
254:and
213:and
211:Napa
205:The
181:USGS
44:Peak
397:dip
333:oak
807::
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518:^
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707:.
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
