Sandia-manzano Mountains

I-40 replaced old Route 66 in bisecting both the Sandia and Manzano parts of this mountain mass.

The Sandia-Manzano Mountains are often considered to be the northernmost major range in the Mexican Highlands geographic province (i.e. New Mexico in Maps, Jerry L. WIlliams, University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, NM, 1986). This differentiates them from the Rocky Mountains , often considered to end just east of Santa Fe , at the southern tip of the Sangre De Cristo Mountains . A substantial distance gap of much lower elevation grasslands and Savanna exists between the Sangre de Cristos and the Sandia Mountains, and climate conditions shift between both ranges.

This distinction is further made by Plant , Animal , and Insect species that are common in both the Sandia-Manzano Mountains and in other mountainous areas to the south, but diminish quickly in the mountains to the north. These include Quercus turbinella, Opuntia emgelmannii, Aloysia wrightii, and Western Diamondback Rattlesnake .

At higher elevations in the Sandia-Manzano Mountains, though, a strong climatically driven Rocky Mountain biotic element exists.

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Sandia-manzano Mountains

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