Mima Mounds of the Alpine West

Mima-type mound fields occur in several alpine regions of the western United States. In western Washington, Mima mounds occur in the Olympic and Cascade Mountains where pocket gophers (Thomomys talpoides, T. mazama) occur. Mima terrain is also present in alpine areas of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains from southern Colorado through northern New Mexico, where they are occupied by T. talpoides. These observations mean that in these regions Mima terrain is consistently associated with the presence of Thomomys populations, and is not confined to a specific geological substrate.