Geography

Satellite view of Southern California, including the Channel Islands

Southern California is also divided into:

the Coastal Region. densely populated with more affluence than inland areas. This region includes the coastal interior valleys west of the coastal mountains with all of Orange County and portions of: San Diego County, Los Angeles County, Ventura County, Santa Barbara County, and San Luis Obispo County A related floristic province term is the Cismontane Region on the coastal side of the Transverse and Peninsular mountain ranges, with the term "southern California" popularly referring to this more populated and visited zone. the Desert Region, larger and sparsely populated, with portions of: Kern County, Los Angeles County, San Bernardino County, Riverside County, Imperial County, and San Diego County. The division between the Coastal Regions and the Inland Empire/Imperial Valley winds along the backs of the coastal mountain ranges such as the Santa Ana Mountains. A related floristic province term is the Transmontane Region on the rain shadow side of the same Mountain Ranges, with the term "southern California" including this zone geographically and when distinguishing all the 'southland' from Northern California. Geographic features View from La Jolla Cove in San Diego. Peaks in the eastern San Gabriel Mountains, Angeles National Forest, San Bernardino County. Yucca Valley after a winter storm in the Morongo Basin. Ocean Beach Sunset in San Diego. Angeles National Forest (Los Angeles, San Bernardino, & Ventura Counties) Antelope Hills (Kern County) Antelope Valley (Los Angeles and Kern Counties) Arroyo Seco (Los Angeles County) Bacon Hills (Kern County) Baldwin Hills (Los Angeles County) Ballona Wetlands (Los Angeles County) Big Bear Lake (San Bernardino County) Bissell Hills (Kern County) Black Hills (Kern County) Bolsa Chica Estuary (Orange County) Buena Vista Hills (Kern County) Buena Vista Lake (Kern County) Cajon Pass (San Bernardino County) Calico Mountains (San Bernardino County) Channel Islands (Santa Barbara, Ventura & Los Angeles Counties) Chino Hills (Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside & San Bernardino Counties) Coachella Valley (Riverside County) Colorado Desert (San Bernardino, Riverside, Imperial, and San Diego Counties) Colorado River (San Bernardino, Riverside & Imperial Counties, Baja California & Sonora) Conejo Valley (Ventura County) Cucamonga Valley (San Bernardino County) Cuyamaca Mountains (San Diego County) Death Valley (San Bernardino and Inyo Counties) Diablo Range (Kern County) Elk Hills (Kern County) Elkhorn Hills (San Luis Obispo County) El Paso Mountains (Kern County) Greenhorn Mountains (Kern County) High Desert (Los Angeles, Kern, Inyo, & San Bernardino Counties) Horned Toad Hills (Kern County) Imperial Valley (Imperial County) Irish Hills (San Luis Obispo County) In-Ko-Pah Mountains (San Diego County) Inland Empire (Riverside, San Bernardino Counties) Jacumba Mountains (San Diego County) Jawbone Canyon (Kern County) Kern River (Kern County) La Jolla Cove (San Diego County) Laguna Mountains (San Diego County) Lake Arrowhead (San Bernardino County) Lake Casitas (Ventura County) Lake Castaic (Los Angeles County) Lake Elsinore (Riverside County) Lake Isabella (Kern County) Lake Piru (Ventura County) Lakeview Mountains (Riverside County) Lake Webb (Kern County) Little San Bernardino Mountains (Riverside & San Bernardino Counties) Little Signal Hills (Kern County) Los Angeles Basin (Los Angeles County) Los Angeles River (Los Angeles County) Los Padres National Forest (Kern, Los Angeles, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, & Ventura Counties) Lost Hills (Kern County) Low Desert (Imperial, San Diego, Riverside & San Bernardino Counties) Mojave Desert (Los Angeles, Kern & San Bernardino Counties) Mojave River (San Bernardino County) New River (Imperial County, Mexicali Municipality) Nine Sisters (San Luis Obispo County) Ojai Valley (Ventura County) Orange Coast (Orange County) Oxnard Plain (Ventura County) Palomar Mountain (San Diego County) Palo Verde Valley (Riverside and Imperial Counties) Palos Verdes Peninsula (Los Angeles County) Panamint Range (Inyo County) Peninsular Ranges (San Diego, Riverside, & Orange Counties) Pleito Hills (Kern County) Point Loma (San Diego County) Point Mugu (Ventura County) Point of Rocks (Kern County) Pomona Valley (Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties) Providence Mountains (San Bernardino County) Puente Hills (Los Angeles County) Pyramid Lake (Los Angeles County) Rand Mountains (Kern County) Rio Hondo (Los Angeles County) Rosamond Hills (Kern County) Saddleback Valley (Orange County) Salton Sea (Imperial & Riverside Counties) San Andreas Fault (All Counties) San Bernardino Mountains (San Bernardino County) San Bernardino National Forest (Riverside and San Bernardino Counties) San Bernardino Valley (San Bernardino County) San Diego Bay (San Diego County) San Diego River (San Diego County) San Emigdio Mountains (Los Angeles, Ventura, & Kern Counties) San Fernando Valley (Los Angeles County) San Gabriel Mountains (Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties) San Gabriel River (Los Angeles County) San Gabriel Valley (Los Angeles County) San Jacinto Mountains (Riverside County) San Jacinto River (Riverside County) San Joaquin Valley (Kern County) San Luis Rey River (San Diego County) San Pedro Bay (Los Angeles County) San Rafael Mountains (Santa Barbara County) Santa Ana Mountains (Orange & Riverside Counties) Santa Ana River (San Bernardino, Los Angeles & Orange County) Santa Ana Valley (Orange County) Santa Catalina Island (Los Angeles County) Santa Clara River (Ventura County) Santa Clara River Valley (Ventura County) Santa Clarita Valley (Los Angeles County) Santa Margarita River (Riverside, Orange & San Diego Counties) Santa Monica Bay (Los Angeles County) Santa Monica Mountains (Los Angeles & Ventura Counties) Santa Rosa Mountains (Riverside, Orange & San Diego Counties) Santa Susana Mountains (Los Angeles & Ventura Counties) Santa Ynez Mountains (Santa Barbara County) Santa Ynez Valley (Santa Barbara County) Scodie Mountains (Kern County) Sequoia National Forest (Kern County) Shale Hills (Kern County) Sierra Nevada (Kern County) Sierra Pelona Mountains (Los Angeles and Kern Counties) Simi Hills (Los Angeles & Ventura Counties) Simi Valley (Ventura County) Sweetwater River (San Diego County) Tehachapi Mountains (Kern and Los Angeles Counties) Tejon Hills (Kern County) Telephone Hills (Kern County) Temblor Range (Kern and San Luis Obispo Counties) Tijuana River (San Diego County) Topatopa Mountains (Ventura County) Turtle Mountains (San Bernardino County) Ventura River (Ventura County) Victor Valley (San Bernardino County) Geology Earthquakes On August 26, 2012, southern California and western Arizona experienced a 5.3 magnitude earthquake, and another one at 5.5. This map is the intensity of the 5.3 throughout southern California and Arizona.

Each year, the southern California area has about 10,000 earthquakes. Nearly all of them are so small that they are not felt. Only several hundred are greater than magnitude 3.0, and only about 15–20 are greater than magnitude 4.0.

On August 26, 2012 an earthquake occurred, which was a swarm of over 200 events, two which had magnitudes of 5.3 and 5.5. Many faults are able to produce a magnitude 6.7+ earthquake, such as the San Andreas Fault, which can produce a magnitude 8.0 event. Other faults include the San Jacinto Fault, the Puente Hills Fault, and the Elsinore Fault Zone.