![]() ![]() Most of the islands are found on the west side of the gulf. The gulf contains 37 major islands – the two largest being Isla Ángel de la Guarda and Isla Tiburón. See also: List of islands of Mexico § Gulf of California ![]() Furthermore, hydrothermal vents due to extension tectonic regime, related to the opening of the gulf, are found in the Bahía de Concepción, Baja California Sur. The island of Isla Tortuga is one example of this ongoing volcanic activity. Volcanism dominates the East Pacific Rise. This delta blocks the sea from flooding the Mexicali and Imperial Valleys. The Gulf would extend as far as Indio, California, except for the tremendous delta created by the Colorado River. This extension of the East Pacific Rise is often referred to as the Gulf of California Rift Zone. As part of this process, the East Pacific Rise propagated up the middle of the Gulf along the seabed. Geologic evidence is widely interpreted by geologists as indicating the gulf came into being around 5.3 million years ago as tectonic forces rifted the Baja California Peninsula off the North American Plate. (Faunal regions are distinguishable based on the specific types of animals found there. Transition zones exist between faunal regions, and they usually vary for each individual species. One recognized transition zone is termed the Southwestern Baja California Peninsula. The Gulf of California includes three faunal regions: The International Hydrographic Organization defines the southern limit of the gulf as: "A line joining Piaxtla Point (latitude 23☃8'N) on the west coast of the mainland of Mexico, and the southern extreme of Lower California". Gilbert of the United States Fish Commission visited the area. In the 19th century Duflot de Mofras of France and C.H. Juan de Oñate reached the gulf overland in 1605 by following the Colorado River. The marine expeditions of Fortún Ximénez, Hernán Cortés, Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo, Francisco de Ulloa, Hernando de Alarcón, Captain Francisco de Lucenilla, and Sebastián Vizcaíno document its earliest record. Parts of the Gulf of California are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The gulf is thought to be one of the most diverse seas on Earth and is home to more than 5,000 species of micro-invertebrates. Maximum depths exceed 3,000 meters (9,800 ft) because of the complex geology, linked to plate tectonics. Rivers that flow into the Gulf of California include the Colorado, Fuerte, Mayo, Sinaloa, Sonora, and the Yaqui. It is bordered by the states of Baja California, Baja California Sur, Sonora, and Sinaloa with a coastline of approximately 4,000 km (2,500 mi). The Gulf of California ( Spanish: Golfo de California), also known as the Sea of Cortés ( Mar de Cortés) or Sea of Cortez, or less commonly as the Vermilion Sea ( Mar Bermejo), is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean that separates the Baja California Peninsula from the Mexican mainland. Islands and Protected Areas of the Gulf of California ![]()
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