Fault block mountains are responsible.
the great basin
basin and range
The Great Basin Desert is between the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the Rocky Mountains.
The Great Basin
The Basin and Range region is located in the western United States, covering parts of Nevada, Utah, California, and Oregon. It is characterized by alternating parallel mountain ranges and flat valleys, creating a distinctive landscape.
The dry, rainless area west of the Rocky Mountains is known as the Great Basin. This region encompasses parts of Nevada, Utah, and portions of surrounding states, characterized by its arid climate and desert landscapes. The Great Basin is marked by its unique topography, including mountain ranges and valleys, contributing to its low precipitation levels.
Most of Nevada is covered by the Great Basin, a vast desert region characterized by arid plains and mountain ranges. This area is marked by its unique topography, including valleys and basins, with the largest being the Humboldt River Basin. The Great Basin is part of the larger Great Basin Desert, which extends into several neighboring states. Overall, the plains in Nevada are primarily dry and sparsely populated.
Some of the prominent mountains in the Basin and Range Province include the Sierra Nevada, Snake Range, Ruby Mountains, Wasatch Range, and Granite Mountains. These mountains are characterized by parallel ridges and valleys, which are a result of stretching and pulling apart of the Earth's crust.
The mountains of the Basin and Range province formed from extensional tectonic forces that caused the Earth's crust to stretch and thin out, resulting in horst and graben structures. This extensional tectonics created alternating blocks of uplifted mountains and down-dropped valleys, giving the region its characteristic basin-and-range topography.
The Great Basin Desert covers most of Nevada except for a small portion in the south covered by the Mojave Desert.
The Great Basin receives little rainfall primarily due to its location and topography. It is situated in a rain shadow created by the Sierra Nevada mountain range to the west, which blocks moist air from the Pacific Ocean. As air rises over the mountains, it cools and loses moisture as precipitation, leaving the interior basin dry. Additionally, the Great Basin's high elevation and desert-like conditions contribute to its arid climate.
The mountains and basins region is also called the Basin and Range area because of its unique topography characterized by alternating mountain ranges and flat basins. This region is located in the western United States, mainly in Nevada and parts of Utah, Idaho, and Oregon.