Basin and Range Province

The Basin and Range Province is a large geographic region centered in Nevada that extends into far West Texas. In Texas, it is commonly called the Mountains and Basins region. It contains broad, mostly flat basins separated by mountain ranges.

Many of the mountains in this region are fault-block mountains. These formed when movement along cracks in Earth’s crust caused some blocks of land to rise while others dropped. The lowered areas between the mountains became basins. A basin is an area of land that is lower than the surrounding land.

The Mountains and Basins region includes Texas’s highest mountains. However, these ranges are separate from the Rocky Mountains. The region has a dry climate, limited rainfall, and a relatively small population outside El Paso and several other communities. Its physical geography has influenced where people live, how they obtain water, and how they use the land.

Guadalupe Mountains

The Guadalupe Mountains extend into Texas from New Mexico. They contain Guadalupe Peak, the highest natural point in Texas at 8,751 feet above sea level. Nearby El Capitan rises to 8,085 feet. From the plains below, El Capitan may appear taller because of its steep and noticeable shape.
The Guadalupe Mountains formed from an ancient reef that developed beneath a shallow sea more than 250 million years ago. After the sea disappeared, layers of sediment became limestone. Later movement of Earth’s crust raised the rock, while erosion exposed the mountains visible today.

West of the Guadalupe Mountains is the Diablo Plateau, a broad area of elevated, mostly level land. Water in much of this area does not flow to the ocean. Instead, the small amount of rain that falls may collect in low areas and salt flats. During dry periods, the water evaporates and leaves salt behind.

Farther west are the Hueco and Franklin mountains. The Franklin Mountains rise within the city of El Paso. Between some of the mountain ranges are broad basins formed when sections of land dropped along faults. These basins provide flatter areas for roads, communities, and other human activities.

Davis Mountains

The Davis Mountains are located mainly in Jeff Davis County. They formed through volcanic activity millions of years ago. Mount Livermore, the highest point in the range, reaches more than 8,300 feet above sea level. Several other peaks rise above 7,000 feet.

Elevation affects the region’s climate. When moisture-carrying air rises over the mountains, it cools and may release rain. As a result, the Davis Mountains generally receive more precipitation than nearby desert basins. Grasses, shrubs, oak, juniper, and pine grow at different elevations.
Water from rainfall in the Davis Mountains also moves underground through layers of rock. Some of this groundwater returns to the surface at springs. San Solomon Springs, near the northern base of the mountains, supplies millions of gallons of water each day and supports plants, wildlife, recreation, and nearby communities.
The Davis Mountains are also known for their clear, dark skies. The high elevation, dry air, and distance from large cities make the area an important place for studying stars and other objects in space.

Big Bend

South of the Davis Mountains is the Big Bend area. It gets its name from the large southward curve, or bend, made by the Rio Grande. The river forms part of the international boundary between Texas and Mexico.

Big Bend is a dry and mountainous area with a sparse population. The Chisos Mountains rise from the surrounding Chihuahuan Desert. Emory Peak, the highest point in the Chisos Mountains, reaches 7,832 feet above sea level. Changes in elevation create different environments. Desert plants grow in the lower areas, while woodlands appear at higher elevations.

The Rio Grande has cut several deep canyons through the region’s rock. Santa Elena, Mariscal, and Boquillas canyons have tall, steep walls carved by the movement of water over long periods of time. These canyons show how rivers and erosion can shape the land.

Big Bend National Park protects mountains, desert, canyons, plants, animals, and important cultural sites. The Chisos Basin is a mountain basin within the park. Unlike the broad desert basins found between many mountain ranges, the Chisos Basin is a high valley surrounded by the Chisos Mountains.

People have lived in and traveled through the Big Bend region for thousands of years. Indigenous peoples used its rivers, springs, plants, animals, and travel routes long before the present international boundary existed. Later, Spanish and Mexican communities, ranchers, miners, soldiers, and other settlers also shaped the region. Today, people visit Big Bend for hiking, camping, wildlife viewing, and the area’s dark night skies.

Upper Rio Grande Valley

The Upper Rio Grande Valley, also called the El Paso Valley, is a narrow strip of land along the Rio Grande. It extends southeast from El Paso for more than 75 miles. Compared with the surrounding desert, the valley has access to river water and contains more farms, communities, and transportation routes.

For thousands of years, Indigenous peoples lived and traveled along the Rio Grande. In the late 1600s, Pueblo peoples, including Tigua and Piro communities, came south from present-day New Mexico with Spanish settlers following the Pueblo Revolt. Missions and communities were established at Ysleta and Socorro. San Elizario later developed nearby. These are among the oldest continuously inhabited communities in present-day Texas.

The Rio Grande has changed course many times. Flooding and shifts in the river channel have affected farms, settlements, boundaries, and access to water. People built irrigation systems to move water from the river to fields in the dry valley.

Farmers in the Upper Rio Grande Valley have grown crops such as cotton, pecans, vegetables, and alfalfa. Agriculture depends heavily on irrigation because the region receives little rainfall. Water availability remains an important issue for both communities and farms.

El Paso is the largest city in the Mountains and Basins region. Its location along the Rio Grande and across from Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, has made the valley an important center of trade, transportation, culture, and community life. The concentrated population of the El Paso Valley stands in sharp contrast to the sparsely populated mountains and desert surrounding it.