Some ideas die hard, such as the notion that El Paso lies at the southern foot of the Rocky Mountains. Geographers divide North America into physiographic provinces. Physiography merely refers to the description of the land at regional scales, and takes into account "the types and influence of landforms, soils, climate, vegetation, and hydrologic actions on the natural appearance of the scenery giving each region its distinguishing character."
The Provinces of the Colorado Plateau and the Southern Rocky Mountains
are highland areas lying north of the Chihuahuan Desert. The Great Plains Province lies
to the east of the northernmost desert, essentially beginning at the Pecos River. The
northern portions of desert lie within the Basin and Range Province, a huge expanse
that runs westward from the Great Plains Province and northward into the Great Basin,
compassing much of the interior West. However, most of the Chihuahuan Desert lies atop
the high-elevation Mexican Plateau Province, running southward from near El Paso and
from the Big Bend of Texas. Let's enjoy our desert mountains, rather than envy the
far away Rockies!
Contributor: Arthur H. Harris, Laboratory for Environmental Biology, Centennial Museum, University of Texas at El Paso.
Desert Diary is a joint production of the Centennial Museum and KTEP National Public Radio at the University of Texas at El Paso.