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1993 Map of Ridgecrest

Name: 1993 Topographic Map of Ridgecrest
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1993
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1993

About this map

The China Lake Naval Weapons Center dominates this high-desert landscape, illustrating the mid-century intersection of expansive military test ranges and the region's industrial mineral heritage. Centered on the sprawling playa of China Lake, the map traces the logistical networks connecting the namesake settlement of Ridgecrest with the outlying areas of Inyokern and Brown. To the east, the industrial character of the Mojave is evident at Searles Lake, where the Trona Railway serves the mineral-rich basins of Trona, Argus, and Westend.

Geological and historical markers are scattered across the high-relief terrain, from the Coso Range and the volcanic features at Red Hill to the remote Death Valley National Monument boundary. Local history is etched into the landscape via remote mining sites like the Star of the West Mine and Ophir Mine, while the distinctive geology of the Trona Pinnacles Recreation Lands and Borax Flat highlights the unique evaporative basins that defined the economy of Salt Wells Valley.