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Author: Admin | 2025-04-28
Natural HistoryWe have to start millions of years ago when Nevada, Utah and some of Idaho, Oregon and California were covered by an inland sea. Sea shell fossils can still be found east of Carson City and Ichthyosaur Berlin State Park in central Nevada is home to a fossilized dinosaur fish display. That is a great trip, but back to the story.Nevada since then is characterized as “Basin and Range” typography. Nevada has more mountain ranges than any other state. The vast majority are arranged north to south. This is because as plate tectonics occurred, Nevada was stretched east to west. This caused the valleys to fall into the new space creating the mountains as they rose. The vast multi-state region mentioned above is also known as The Great Basin. This is because any rain that falls here remains here and does not flow to an ocean. This includes Lake Tahoe so technically that Sierra lake is in the Great Basin.Basin and Range topography showing faults. courtesy uidaho.eduWashoe Valley is at the extreme west of this phenomena. We have the Carson Range to the west that is a spur of the Sierra Nevadas and the Virginia Range to the east. The mountains are principally made up of granite. Our granite is composed of several minerals and one, feldspar, dissolves with exposure to the atmosphere. Thus the granite “decomposes” over time to form sand. Over the millennia, this sand has flowed downhill and filled Washoe Valley. Evidence of this sand is present along the east shore of Washoe Lake on the beach and the dunes.Now, several streams from the Carson Range and a few seasonal streams from the Virginia Range flow into Washoe lake. This water overflows to the north into the wildlife refuge and then into Little Washoe Lake. That overflow goes through Washoe (or Pagni) Canyon through Pleasant Valley, Steamboat Valley, Truckee Meadows to it’s intersection with the Truckee River and then to Pyramid Lake. Pyramid Lake is a terminal lake meaning its waters do not go to an ocean but sink into the ground or evaporates. Or, in modern history, the excess water is used for civilization.Native AmericansFor thousands of years the area has been home to the western Paiute tribe and the Washoe tribe of Native Americans. They had a basic civilization, gathering roots and pine nuts, fishing and hunting. They moved their camps with the seasons,
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