Sierra Morena, California
| Santa Cruz Mountains | |
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Skyline Boulevard runs through the Santa Cruz Mountains, here in Portola Valley.
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| Highest point | |
| Peak | Loma Prieta Peak |
| Elevation | 3,786 ft (1,154 m) |
| Coordinates | 37°06′40″N 121°50′39″W / 37.111011844°N 121.844161333°W |
| Geography | |
 Location of the Santa Cruz Mountains in California, United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| Range coordinates | 37°7′N 121°51′W / 37.117°N 121.850°WCoordinates: 37°7′N 121°51′W / 37.117°N 121.850°W |
| Parent range | Pacific Coast Ranges |
The Santa Cruz Mountains, part of the Pacific Coast Ranges, are a mountain range in central and northern California, United States. They form a ridge down the San Francisco Peninsula, south of San Francisco. They separate the Pacific Ocean from the San Francisco Bay and the Santa Clara Valley, and continue south to the Central Coast, bordering Monterey Bay and ending at the Salinas Valley. The range passes through the counties of San Mateo, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz, with the Pajaro River forming the southern boundary.
The northernmost portion of the Santa Cruz Mountains, north of Half Moon Bay Road (SR 92), is known as Montara Mountain; the middle portion is the Sierra Morena, which includes a summit called Sierra Morena, and extends south to a gap at Lexington Reservoir; south of the gap, the mountain range is known as the Sierra Azul.
The highest point in the range is Loma Prieta Peak, 11 miles west of Morgan Hill, with a height of 3,786 feet (1,154 m), near which is the epicenter of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. Other major peaks include Mount Umunhum at 3,486 feet (1,063 m), Mount Bielawski at 3,231 feet (985 m), El Sombroso at 2,999 feet (914 m), Eagle Rock at 2,488 feet (758 m), Black Mountain at 2,800 feet (850 m), and Sierra Morena at 2,417 feet (737 m). The San Andreas Fault runs along or near the ridge line throughout the range. The interior east side of the mountains drops abruptly towards this fault line, especially near the towns of Woodside and Saratoga.
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Wikipedia