The range is an anticlinal structure with a sharp southern boundary defined by the Cuyama River which separates the Caliente Range from the Sierra Madre Mountains in neighboring Santa Barbara County.
The range is an anticlinal structure with a sharp southern boundary defined by the Morales Thrust Fault, along which runs the Cuyama River. The Cuyama Valley separates the Caliente Range from the Sierra Madre Mountains in neighboring Santa Barbara County.