By the Shores of Lake Lahontan

Camping on a different kind of beach.

Beachcombing through tufa, not sand.

Last fall, on my way home from California, I drove through northwest Nevada intending to make several brief geostops on the shores of Lake Lahontan. But it was so interesting and so curious that I stayed over two nights. By doing so, I was able to follow in the footsteps of one of the great pioneering geologists of the American West—Israel C. Russell.

I met Russell several years ago in the Mono Basin, not far west of Lake Lahontan. Guided by his spirit, I toured the basin seeing landscapes through his eyes and his words (Russell 1889). He was a terrific writer, and that was a time when geologists weren't constrained by today's conventions of scientific writing. It was wonderful to share his awe and appreciation for the novel geologic features he found.

Israel Russell (source). "his physique gave to the eye little suggestion of that capacity for sustained effort and endurance without which his more strenuous exploration would have been impossible." (Gilbert 1906)

In 1880, Russell joined Senior Geologist Grove Karl Gilbert of the US Geological Survey in a study of what were thought to be relic shorelines, across a huge area in western Utah. Impressed with Russell's diligence and field skills, Gilbert gave him his own project—a survey of similar features to the west in Nevada It would commence the following year.

During the first field season, Russell made a geological reconnaissance "during which about 3500 miles were traversed in the saddle" (all quotes his unless noted]. That winter he prepared a "Sketch" of his findings, starting with a description of the region—expansive, harsh, unusual in the extreme, and "standing in marked contrast in nearly all its scenic features with the remaining portions of the United States."

"The traveler in this region is no longer surrounded by the open, grassy parks and heavily-timbered mountains of the Pacific slope, or by the rounded and flowing outlines of the forest-crowned Appalachians, and the scenery suggests naught of the boundless plains east of the Rocky Mountains or of the rich savannas of te Gulf States. He must compare it rather to the parched and desert areas of Arabia and the shores of the Dead Sea and the Caspian."

Though unlikely to attract "the pleasure-seeker", the region offered a "peculiar fascination" to geologists, for two reasons. First, "the absence of vegetation gives such unusual facilities for investigation". Often not a single tree can be seen for hundreds of miles, and only the rare robust sagebrush offers any hope of shade. Rock and soil are well-exposed.

The barren range beyond the playa was one of Lahontan's many islands and peninsulas.

Second, "the character of the problems to be solved" was irresistible. This was an area rich in geologic novelties, Lake Lahontan being a fine example. Water is scarce to non-existent, and more than a few travelers have chased mirages, gagged on alkaline muck, and perished from thirst. Yet a host of scattered shorelines, tufa deposits, and gravel bars suggest Lahontan was once a huge freshwater lake sparkling in the sun.

Lake Lahontan in its prime, just 13,000 years ago (source).

Routes traveled [red lines] & areas surveyed (Russell 1885); source.

Russell and various assistants would spend two field seasons studying and measuring Lake Lahontan. They determined the elevations of basins (the old lake bed) and terraces on the slopes above (shorelines). They sketched ancient gravel bars and sand spits, and collected samples of the various types of tufa. And they surveyed and mapped nearly 8500 square miles. The result was monumental: Geological History of Lake Lahontan, a Quaternary Lake of northwestern Nevada; Monograph 11 of the US Geological Survey.

"Depth of Lake Lahontan at highest water stage" (excerpt, note depth measurements); source.

"A characteristic specimen of thinolite" [a controversial type of tufa]; source.

From "Map of Lake Lahontan" (c. 20 x 32 inches in its entirety). Note shaded relief overlying contour lines—subject of a future post.

During my visit last year, I toured a northern arm of Lake Lahontan—today's Black Rock Desert and "Lake" Winnemucca to the south.

Black Rock Desert playa is open to driving, fireworks, camping & more (I stayed on the shoreline above). 

From the Black Rock Desert, I drove south along today's Lake Winnemucca, and stopped at a large tufa tower next to the highway. Tufa is sometimes described as a porous limestone; it forms where freshwater meets carbon-dioxide-rich waters, such as springs, streams, and lakes. In his monograph, Russell described three types and partially clarified an "embarrassing" earlier hypothesis for thinolite.

Tufa tower along NV Hwy 447.

Tufa up close.

Lake Lahontan shorelines above today's mostly-dry Lake Winnemucca.

With that stop my visit to Lake Lahotan came to an end. It was much too brief, and I left determined to return.

"The bare mountains reveal their structure almost at a glance, and show distinctly the many varying tints of their naked rocks."

Sources

Gilbert, GK. 1906. Israel Cook Russell. J. of Geology 14:663-667.

Russell, IC. 1885. Geological History of Lake Lahontan, a Quaternary Lake of northwestern Nevada; Monograph 11 of the US Geological Survey.

Russell, IC. 1889. Quaternary history of Mono Valley, California (in USGS 8th annual report). Russell's report was reprinted in 1984 by Artemisia Press, Lee Vining, CA.