Open-File Report 2006-1312
U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
Open-File Report 2006-1312
Rainier Mesa is about 140 km northwest of Las Vegas, Nev. (fig. 2). The mesa covers an area of about 11 km2 and has an average altitude of 2,200 m (Russell and others, 2001). Vegetation on the mesa is characterized by pinyon pine (Pinus edulis) and juniper (Juniperus sp.) trees, rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus sp.), perennial grasses, and high-desert scrub brush.
Precipitation on Rainier Mesa principally is from cool-season Pacific storms and from warm-season convective storms when moist tropical air flows northward from the southeastern North Pacific Ocean. Average annual precipitation on Rainier Mesa is approximately 330.0 mm, much of which falls as snow. The maximum recorded annual precipitation for 1964–2005 was 682.5 mm in 1983 and the minimum recorded annual precipitation was 9.6 mm in 2002. Precipitation data and a general description of the NTS climate, which includes a discussion of the higher terrain areas representative of Rainier Mesa, are available at http://www.sord.nv.doe.gov/raingage/Monthly/Rainer_Mesa_Monthly_Data.txt and at http://www.sord.nv.doe.gov/climate/climate.nts.general.pdf (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2006).
U.S.
Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological
Survey
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