Final answer:
The Sierra Nevada and Cascade Ranges are part of California's mountainous regions, formed by geological forces like subduction and convergence, leading to iconic landscapes and active volcanoes, with the Sierra Nevada's formation being more recent. These ranges play a role not only in natural geography but also in cultural representation like Salvation Mountain.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Mountains of California
The Sierra Nevada Range, spanning 400 miles across California, includes remarkable formations like Yosemite's Half Dome, a popular destination for mountain climbers. This mountain range was formed during the Late Mesozoic era due to convergence and subduction, a process where oceanic plates dive beneath continental plates, causing volcanic activity and the intrusion of granite batholiths that are now exposed after erosion of older volcanoes. This geological activity created extensions and large fault blocks that characterize the steep range seen today. Furthermore, the Sierra Nevada formation is relatively recent, around 5 million years old.
North of the Sierra Nevada is the Cascade Range, part of the Pacific Coast Mountain Range extending from Northern California to Canada. Unlike the Sierra Nevada, the Cascades are a result of modern subduction where the Juan de Fuca and Gorda Plates are being subducted under the North American Plate, leading to the formation of numerous active volcanoes, including Mount Rainier and Mount Saint Helens.
In the broader context, the Mountain West region encompasses the Rocky Mountains, Sierra Nevada, Cascades, and the Intermontane Basins and Plateaus. This region includes areas from western North America up to the southern Canadian Rockies, known for rapid economic and population growth.
Beyond geographical description, the mountains are culturally significant, as highlighted by Salvation Mountain in Slab City, CA, which is a folk-art representation of Christian faith.