The Rand Mountains are located in the

Mojave Desert The Mojave Desert ( ; mov, Hayikwiir Mat'aar; es, Desierto de Mojave) is a desert in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada mountains in the Southwestern United States. It is named for the indigenous Mojave people. It is located primarily in ...

northeast of

California City California City is a city located in northern Antelope Valley in Kern County, California, United States. It is north of the city of Los Angeles, and the population was 14,973 at the 2020 census. Covering , California City has the third-largest ...

and southwest of the town of Randsburg.

History

The mountains were the location of the Rand Mining District, with the

mining town A mining community, also known as a mining town or a mining camp, is a community that houses miners. Mining communities are usually created around a mine or a quarry. Historic mining communities Australia * Ballarat, Victoria * Bendigo, ...

s of Randsburg, Red Mountain, and

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...

, now approaching

ghost town Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to: * Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned Film and television * Ghost Town (1936 film), ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser * Ghost Town (1956 film), ''Ghost Town'' ...

status.

Geography

The mountains lie in a southwest-northeasterly direction at the eastern edge of the

Fremont Valley The Fremont Valley is a valley located in the western Mojave Desert of California. It stretches from the town of Mojave approximately 70 km northeast to the foothills of the Lava Mountains and Summit Range. The valley is home to Koehn Dry ...

. The Scodie Mountains and the

Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada () is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primarily ...

are to the west. The range stretches approximately 15 miles from the Desert Tortoise Natural Area to the old mining areas of Randsburg. The principal peaks of the range are Government Peak, at 4,741 feet, and Sidney Peak, at 4,372 feet above sea level. The Rand Mountains receive very little rainfall in a normal year, typically less than seven inches.

References

*California Road and Recreation Atlas, 2005, pg.94 Mountain ranges of the Mojave Desert Mountain ranges of Kern County, California Mining in California Mountain ranges of Southern California {{KernCountyCA-geo-stub

History

Geography

See also

References