Broke into simple categories for clarity
1. Location and Region
- Colorado Desert: Southeastern California; part of the larger Sonoran Desert, focused around the Salton Trough and lower Colorado River.
- Sonoran Desert: Covers southeastern California, southern Arizona, and extends into Mexico.
- Mojave Desert: This desert is mostly in southeastern California and also parts of Nevada, Arizona, and Utah. It lies north of the Colorado and Sonoran deserts.
- Southern Great Basin: Eastern California and Nevada; part of the Basin and Range Province, north and east of the Mojave.
2. Elevation
- Colorado Desert: Very low (–275 ft to ~3,000 ft).
- Sonoran Desert: 250 to 4,400 ft.
- Mojave Desert: Generally higher—2,000 to 5,000 ft; with some mountain ranges over 7,000 ft.
- Southern Great Basin: Widest range—1,000 to 11,000 ft.
3. Climate
- Colorado Desert: Subtropical desert; extremely hot and dry; rare frost.
- Sonoran Desert: Also very hot, with both winter and summer rainfall (bimodal).
- Mojave Desert: Cooler than Sonoran and Colorado; mostly winter rain; occasional snow at higher elevations.
- Southern Great Basin: Cooler and wetter overall; more snowfall and broader seasonal range.
4. Precipitation
- Colorado Desert: 2–3 inches/year.
- Sonoran Desert: 3–6 inches/year.
- Mojave Desert: 3–10 inches/year.
- Southern Great Basin: 4–20 inches/year, depending on elevation.
5. Temperature
- Colorado Desert: Up to 120°F in summer.
- Sonoran Desert: 60°–75°F average, but peaks well over 100°F.
- Mojave Desert: 50°–70°F average, with summer highs above 110°F.
- Southern Great Basin: 35°–72°F average, with colder winters.
6. Growing Season
- Colorado Desert: 250–350 days.
- Sonoran Desert: 250–325 days.
- Mojave Desert: 175–300 days.
- Southern Great Basin: 100–275 days.
7. Vegetation
- Colorado Desert: Creosote bush, white bursage, limited plant diversity due to extreme heat.
- Sonoran Desert: Most diverse—includes saguaro cactus, palo verde, ocotillo, mesquite.
- Mojave Desert: Joshua trees, blackbrush, creosote, Mojave yucca; more cold-tolerant species.
- Southern Great Basin: Big sagebrush, pinyon pine, juniper, bristlecone pine at high elevations; saltbush and tamarisk in lowlands.
8. Wildlife
- Colorado & Sonoran Deserts: Desert tortoise, jackrabbit, coyote, kit fox, roadrunner, various lizards.
- Mojave Desert: Similar fauna but more cold-adapted species like the desert woodrat; home to the iconic Mojave rattlesnake.
- Southern Great Basin: Adds mountain species like bighorn sheep, spotted bat, and wider bird diversity due to higher elevation zones.
9. Soils
- Colorado, Sonoran, Mojave: Mostly Aridisols and Entisols.
- Southern Great Basin: It also includes mollisols and inceptisols in moister areas.
10. Surface Water
- Colorado & Sonoran Deserts: Flash floods; some perennial rivers like the lower Colorado.
- Mojave Desert: Rare springs, seeps, and playas; dry washes.
- Southern Great Basin: Seasonal mountain runoff to enclosed basins or dry lakes; some spring-fed wetlands.
11. Human Impact
- Colorado Desert: Irrigation farming (Imperial Valley), solar development, tourism.
- Sonoran Desert: Urban expansion (Phoenix, Tucson), agriculture, mining, military use.
- Mojave Desert: Military bases, solar/wind farms, mining, conservation areas (like Mojave National Preserve).
- Southern Great Basin: Scattered mining, grazing, military testing, and recreation; relatively undeveloped compared to others.
In Summary:
| Region | Elevation | Rain (in/year) | Climate | Key Plants | Notable Feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado Desert | –275 to 3,000 ft | 2–3 | Very hot, dry | Creosote, bursage | Salton Sea, subtropical heat |
| Sonoran Desert | 250 to 4,400 ft | 3–6 | Hot, bimodal rain | Saguaro, palo verde | Most biodiverse desert |
| Mojave Desert | 2,000 to 5,000+ ft | 3–10 | Hot-cold desert | Joshua tree, blackbrush | Transitional desert, higher, colder |
| Southern G. Basin | 1,000 to 11,000 ft | 4–20 | Cool-dry high desert | Sagebrush, juniper | Coldest and most varied terrain |
Each desert has its own character, shaped by elevation, moisture, and temperature. The Colorado is the hottest, the Sonoran the most diverse, the Mojave the middle ground with its famous Joshua trees, and the Southern Great Basin the coldest and most mountainous.