Mojave, << moh HAH vee, >> Desert, in southeastern California, is a vast desert wasteland covering about 25,000 square miles (64,700 square kilometers). It is sometimes spelled Mohave. It lies between the Sierra Nevada and the Colorado River. The Pacific Ocean once covered this region. Over a long period, high mountains rose and blocked the entry of water from the sea. Volcanic mountains erupted and covered the region with lava, mud, and ashes. Today, many small isolated mountain ranges and extinct volcanoes break up the great stretches of sandy soil. Dry lake beds form the world’s chief source of boron, a mineral used for fuels and nuclear reactors.
