Sonoma Mountain

Sonoma Mountain
Northeast flanks of Sonoma Mountain viewed from Annadel State Park.
Highest point
Elevation	2,463 ft (751 m)  NAVD 88
Coordinates	38°19′23″N 122°34′31″W / 38.3230978°N 122.5751666°W / 38.3230978; -122.5751666Coordinates: 38°19′23″N 122°34′31″W / 38.3230978°N 122.5751666°W / 38.3230978; -122.5751666
Geography
Location	Sonoma County, California, U.S.
Parent range	Sonoma Mountains
Topo map	USGS Glen Ellen, CA (map image)
Climbing
Easiest route	Trail

Sonoma Mountain is a prominent landform within the Sonoma Mountains of southern Sonoma County, California. At elevation of 2,463 ft (751 m), Sonoma Mountain offers expansive views of the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Sonoma Valley to the east. In fact, the viticultural area extends in isolated patches up the eastern slopes of Sonoma Mountain to almost 1,700 feet (520 m) in elevation.

The eastern and northern slopes are protected from afternoon heat and hence are more densely forested in oak woodlands, abetted by the well drained nutrient rich soils. The western and southern slopes, on the other hand, are drier and warmer, leading to fewer dense woodlands and more chaparral, grassland and oak savannah.

Up until about twelve million years ago, this location was part of the seabed of the Pacific Ocean. In the Miocene era, precipitated by the combination of tectonic movement due to the seismically active environment and the presence of magma not far below the Earth's surface, a massive period of uplift ensued. This uplift formed the volcanically based Sonoma Mountains as well as the Mayacamas Mountains to the east. Residual evidence of these ancient geological features appears in the form of local hot springs such as nearby Mortons Hot Springs and Agua Caliente Hot Springs. The presence of the active Rodgers Creek Fault also attests to this prehistoric tectonic movement. The eastern slopes of Sonoma Mountain drain to Sonoma Creek, the northern flanks drain to Matanzas Creek and the southwestern flanks are in the Petaluma River watershed.