The Basin and Range physiographic province extends southward from the Columbia Plateaus and is bounded by the Sierra Nevada and Wasatch Ranges, including most of Nevada and parts of Oregon, Idaho, Utah, California, Arizona, and New Mexico (Fenneman, 1931).
Distinctive topographic features of the province are isolated, nearly parallel mountain ranges, commonly trending north, with intervening valleys or basins composed of sediments derived from the mountains. In cross profile the ranges are typically asymmetrical; the steeper slope commonly is fairly straight, but may be somewhat sinuous. Steep slopes may bound both sides of a range, but are generally found on only one side.
Most ranges are bordered by smooth piedmont slopes having low gradients. These slopes typically make a sharp angle with the steeper mountain front and are comprised of two parts, a pediment eroded in bedrock adjacent to the range and a bajada composed of alluvium toward the basin (Fig. 2). The pediment and bajada...
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Woodward, L.A. (1968). Basin and range landscape . In: Geomorphology. Encyclopedia of Earth Science. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-31060-6_27
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-31060-6_27
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