A reconnaissance trip south to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. 600,000 acres of desert geology, wildlife and vegetation. It is about 84- miles/1.5 hours south with a lot of those miles along the west side of the Salton Sea. Great badlands, dry lakes, mountains and vegetation. Trip also took us through the Ocotillo Wells State Vehicle Recreation Area (SVRA) which is 86,000 acres of open area for off-road recreation. More interestingly, camping is allowed in the entire area (no services-boondocking) with no fees for up to 30-days/year.
The San Jacinto Fault runs through the eastern portion of the park and the Elsinore Fault is visible in the western portions of the park. There is good reason to think that the San Jacinto Fault is replacing the San Andreas Fault in this area as the primary displacement fault. The San Andreas has been locked in the vicinity of the Big Bend and the San Jacinto has been more active. However, in any given year, the Coachella Valley/Imperial Valley area experiences up to 11,000 earthquakes (most not noticeable) as the whole area shifts during the Gulf of California rifting and associated downdrop of this area. The only thing that keeps the water from the Gulf of California from inundating the Imperial and Coachella Valleys is a 40-foot high delta built up at the discharge of the Colorado River. Once that goes (and it will) Palm Springs and the entire area may become coastal communities.
