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Eastern Hills

Ecoregion in Coast Ranges, CA

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The Eastern Hills ecoregion includes the low, steep mountains and foothills on the eastern side of the Diablo Range, including the Panoche, Ciervo, and Kettleman Hills, and Avenal Ridge at the southern end. Elevations range from about 100 feet in the north to 2,000–3,000 feet on the highest hills. Ecoregion 6aa is drier, lower, and mostly grassland compared to Ecoregion 6z to the west. It is more hilly and lacks cropland compared to Ecoregions 7o and 7q to the east. The rocks are predominantly Cretaceous sandstone and shale, intensely folded and faulted. Eocene, Miocene, and Pliocene marine sediments, Plio-Pleistocene nonmarine sediments, and Quaternary alluvium also occur. The soils are well-drained; many are calcareous in their subsoils. Soil temperature regimes are thermic and soil moisture regimes are mostly xeric, with some aridic in the southeastern part of the region. The predominant vegetation is needlegrass and annual grasslands. There is some blue oak on north-facing slopes in wetter areas and some chamise on shallow soils. Valley oak occurs in valleys along the San Andreas Fault zone.

— EPA

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