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Laguna Canyon (also called Cañada de las Lagunas, Spanish: Lagoon Canyon)〔 is the name of a canyon that cuts through the San Joaquin Hills in southern Orange County, California, in the United States, directly west of the city of Irvine. The canyon runs from northeast to southwest, drained on the east side by tributaries of San Diego Creek and on the west by Laguna Canyon Creek. It is deeper and more rugged on the southwestern end near Laguna Beach. Geologically, the canyon likely originated millions of years ago as the result of San Diego Creek cutting through the San Joaquin Hills. Uplift diverted that stream to its present course, leaving Laguna Canyon as a wind gap. California State Route 133 runs the entire length of the canyon connecting Laguna Beach and Irvine, while California State Route 73 crosses it, running southeast-northwest. A majority of the canyon is located within the Laguna Coast Wilderness Park; small portions are part of Aliso and Wood Canyons Regional Park and the cities of Irvine, Laguna Beach, Laguna Woods and Aliso Viejo. ==Geography and geology== Laguna Canyon is approximately long and wide at the widest points. The city of Irvine lies to the northeast, Lake Forest and Aliso Viejo to the east, the undeveloped San Joaquin Hills to the west, and Laguna Beach to the south. The drainage divide of the canyon near its northern end separates Laguna Canyon Creek from the San Diego Creek watershed.〔 〕 State Route 133, locally called Laguna Canyon Road, winds through Laguna Canyon for the entire length of the gorge. California State Route 73 bisects the gorge east-west. The lower section of the canyon is part of the Laguna Coast Wilderness, while the upper section also has a few smaller wilderness preserves. The upper section contains the Laguna Lakes, a series of small natural lakes formed by groundwater rising along a local fault line, which are the namesake of the canyon. A section of the lower canyon within the city limits of Laguna Beach is heavily developed. The northernmost extreme of the canyon lies near a residential area that adjoins Interstate 405.〔〔 The canyon was most likely formed by San Diego Creek cutting through the rising San Joaquin Hills over a span of about 1.22 million years. At some point, however, the creek changed course, and the water gap it had formed was walled off by the mountains and became a separate watershed. The gradient of the drainage divide separating Laguna Canyon and the San Diego Creek watershed is very small, allowing for the canyon's modern use as a transportation route. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Laguna Canyon」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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