DOCSLIB.ORG

Hydrology of Bishop Creek, Inyo County, California: an Isotopic Analysis

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Hydrology of Bishop Creek, Inyo County, California: an Isotopic Analysis UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations 1-1-1988 Hydrology of Bishop Creek, Inyo County, California: An isotopic analysis Michael Louis Space University of Nevada, Las Vegas Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/rtds Repository Citation Space, Michael Louis, "Hydrology of Bishop Creek, Inyo County, California: An isotopic analysis" (1988). UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations. 18. http://dx.doi.org/10.25669/hhdn-m2k0 This Thesis is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by Digital Scholarship@UNLV with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Thesis in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/ or on the work itself. This Thesis has been accepted for inclusion in UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Scholarship@UNLV. For more information, please contact [email protected]. INFORMATION TO USERS The most advanced technology has been used to photo­ graph and reproduce this manuscript from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Oversize materials (e.g., maps, drawings, charts) are re­ produced by sectioning the original, beginning at the upper left-hand corner and continuing from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. Each original is also photographed in one exposure and is included in reduced form at the back of the book. These are also available as one exposure on a standard 35mm slide or as a 17" x 23" black and white photographic print for an additional charge. Photographs included in the original manuscript have been reproduced xerographically in this copy. Higher quality 6" x 9" black and white photographic prints are available for any photographs or illustrations appearing in this copy for an additional charge. Contact UMI directly to order. University Microfilms International A Bell & Howell Information Company 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 USA 313/761-4700 800/521-0600 Order Number 1337598 Hydrology of Bishop Creek, Inyo County, California: An isotopic analysis Space, Michael Louis, M.S. University of Nevada, Las Vegas, 1989 UMI 300 N. Zeeb Rd. Ann Arbor, MI 48106 Hydrology of Bishop Creek, Inyo County, California: An Isotopic Analysis by Michael Louis Space A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Geoscience Department of Geoscience University of Nevada, Las Vegas May 1989 The thesis of Michael Louis Space for the degree of Master of Science Geoscience is approved. Chairman, John W. Hess, Ph.D. <rr\ _ Examining Committee MencLhef, Stephen A. Mizell, Ph.D / / Examining Committee Member, David L. Weide, Ph.D. Graduate Faculty Representative, Stanley D. Smith, Ph.D. Graduate Dean, Ronald W. Smith, Ph.D. University of Nevada, Las Vegas May 1989 ABSTRACT Bishop Creek, located in east-central California on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada supports fauna and flora that otherwise could not exist. There are approximately 3000 meters of relief in the Bishop Creek watershed. The headwaters of the creek originate from three man-made lakes, situated at 2790 to 2975 meters above sea level. During its course, diverted water from Bishop Creek flows through a series of five hydroelectric power plants, resulting in streamflow that is less than that expected under natural conditions much of the year. Stream diversion for hydroelectric power production may have adverse effects on the riparian community. An isotopic study was employed to better understand the hydrology of the basin, estimate the volume of ground-water input along diverted reaches of Bishop Creek, and determine the sources of water to different tree species at various times of the growing season. Sampling of both fresh and integrated snow during January and April, 1988 show relative enrichments in both and <5D values in snow for April. This was primarily due to the removal of isotopically lighter snow during melting periods and an influx of isotopically heavier snow during the warmer spring months. The average <5D value of the snowpack sampled for April 1988 is -158 °/oo. Tributary waters that flow into the headwater lakes of Bishop Creek have an average 5D value of -131 °/oo for April 1988. Ground water sampled from the Bishop Creek basin during 1986-1987 have an average 5D value of -133 °/oo. From interpretation of the isotope data it was concluded that snowmelt infiltrated the ground surface and displaced ground water into the tributary streams. Summer precipitation 8 D values collected in 1988 have an unweighted average of -67 °/oo. An isotopic balance provides a rough estimate that 75% of the ground water is from winter precipitation in the basin. Bishop Creek was divided into 7 reaches and ground-water discharge was estimated using an isotopic-mass balance equation. Average 8 D values of lake headwaters are 10-15 °/oo more enriched relative to ground-water 8 D values. Iso­ topic shifts to more negative 8 D values along Bishop Creek occurred during low flow conditions for 1986-1987. This was especially true for reaches found at higher elevations. Isotopic shifts were not detected during high streamflow periods because ground-water input was insignificant to surface water flow. In July and October, 1987, diverted reaches showed a range of ground-water input from zero to 0.054 m3/s. Total flow through the gaining reaches varied from 0.018 to 0.135 m3/s. The 8 D values for various tree species along the riparian corridor and on a hillslope above the stream were, on the average, more depleted than possible water sources. Testing of the laboratory method of cottonwood trees along a wash in Southern Nevada showed that this was partly due to the length of the distillation time of the tree sample. However, variations in the 8 D values of the tree samples along the wash varied by as much as 14 °/oo. This was probably a result of either biological fractionation of the water by the plant or differences in water source. TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................ ill LIST OF FIGURES .......................................................................................................... vi LIST OF TABLES.............................................................................................................viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS............................................................................................. ix INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 1 O bjectives ......................................................................................................................... 2 Previous Studies ............................................................................................................. 3 ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING .....................................................................................5 G eography ........................................................................................................................ 5 Hydroelectric Power Production On Bishop Creek ............................................. 5 Climate and Vegetation ................................................................................................7 Precipitation Data for Bishop Creek, 1985-1987 .................................................. 10 G eology ............................................................................................................................. 12 L ithology ......................................................................................................................12 Tectonic History ........................................................................................................ 14 Local Hydrogeology ....................................................................................................... 15 STABLE ENVIRONMENTAL ISOTOPES ...............................................................18 Introduction .................................................................................................................... 18 Stable Isotopes in the Hydrologic Cycle .................................................................20 Stable Isotopes in Trees ................................................................................................22 METHODS AND PROCEDURES................................................................................25 Field Methods .................................................................................................................. 25 Surface
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Campsite Impact in the Wilderness of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks Thirty Years of Change
    National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Campsite Impact in the Wilderness of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks Thirty Years of Change Natural Resource Technical Report NPS/SEKI/NRTR—2013/665 ON THE COVER Examples of campsites surveyed in the late 1970s and again in 2006-2007. In a clockwise direction, these sites are in the Striped Mountain, Woods Creek, Sugarloaf, and Upper Big Arroyo areas in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. Photographs by: Sandy Graban and Bob Kenan, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. Campsite Impact in the Wilderness of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks Thirty Years of Change Natural Resource Technical Report NPS/SEKI/NRTR—2013/665 David N. Cole and David J. Parsons Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station 790 East Beckwith Avenue Missoula, Montana 59801 January 2013 U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Fort Collins, Colorado The National Park Service, Natural Resource Stewardship and Science office in Fort Collins, Colorado, publishes a range of reports that address natural resource topics. These reports are of interest and applicability to a broad audience in the National Park Service and others in natural resource management, including scientists, conservation and environmental constituencies, and the public. The Natural Resource Technical Report Series is used to disseminate results of scientific studies in the physical, biological, and social sciences for both the advancement of science and the achievement of the National Park Service mission. The series provides contributors with a forum for displaying comprehensive data that are often deleted from journals because of page limitations.
    [Show full text]
  • Stock Users Guide to the Wilderness of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks a Tool for Planning Stock-Supported Wilderness Trips
    Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior National Parks Stock Users Guide to the Wilderness of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks A tool for planning stock-supported wilderness trips SEQUOIA & KINGS CANYON NATIONAL PARKS Wilderness Office 47050 Generals Highway Three Rivers, California 93271 559-565-3766 [email protected] www.nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/wilderness.htm Revised May 6th, 2021 EAST CREEK .............................................................................. 19 TABLE OF CONTENTS SPHINX CREEK .......................................................................... 19 INTRO TO GUIDE ........................................................................ 2 ROARING RIVER ....................................................................... 19 LAYOUT OF THE GUIDE............................................................. 3 CLOUD CANYON ....................................................................... 20 STOCK USE & GRAZING RESTRICTIONS: DEADMAN CANYON ................................................................ 20 KINGS CANYON NATIONAL PARK .................................... 4 SUGARLOAF AND FERGUSON CREEKS ................................. 21 SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK ................................................ 6 CLOVER AND SILLIMAN CREEKS .......................................... 23 MINIMUM IMPACT STOCK USE ................................................ 8 LONE PINE CREEK .................................................................... 23 MINIMUM
    [Show full text]
  • Wilderness Trail Names and Quotas for Inyo National Forest
    Wilderness Trail Names and Quotas for Inyo National Forest • Quota is the number of people that can start at the listed location each day. • Permit is only valid to start on specific entry date and location reserved. • (JMT) or (PCT) indicates trail connects to the John Muir Trail or Pacific Crest Trail. • Information about quotas, commercial use, wilderness permit requirements on page 3. • For help identifying what quota applies for a trip, contact our wilderness permit office. Trail Name Trail Total Reserve Reserve Commercial Code Quota (6 month (2 weeks Quota – Notes* advance) advance) Baker Lakes JM22 8 5 3 Special Approval Baxter Pass (JMT) JM29 8 5 3 Special Approval Beck Lake AA12 15 9 6 *Single quota Big Pine Creek North Fork JM23 25 15 10 15 (PO); 8 (O/G) Big Pine Creek South Fork JM24 12 7 5 *Single quota Birch Lake JM25 8 5 3 Special Approval Bishop Pass (JMT) JM21 36 22 14 15 Blackrock GT66 Non Quota--Unlimited Bloody Canyon AA03 8 5 3 Special Approval Convict Creek JM04 10 6 4 *Single quota Cottonwood Lakes JM39 60 36 24 15 Cottonwood Pass (PCT) GT60 40 24 16 Non-quota Deer Lakes JM0 10 6 4 *Single quota Duck Pass (JMT) JM01 30 18 12 15 Fern Lake AA13 10 6 4 *Single quota Fish Creek AA14 15 9 6 15 Gable Lakes JM12 8 5 3 Special Approval George Creek - Mt. Williamson JM33 8 5 3 Special Approval George Lake JM18 10 6 4 *Single quota Gibbs Lake AA02 8 5 3 *Single quota Glacier Canyon AA01 8 5 3 *Single quota Golden Trout Lakes (Onion JM30 10 6 4 Special Approval Valley) Haiwee Pass (PCT) SS64 Non Quota--Unlimited High Trail –PCT
    [Show full text]
  • April 1999 SCREE
    September, 2007 Peak Climbing Section, Loma Prieta Chapter, Sierra Club Vol. 41 No. 9 World Wide Web Address: http://lomaprieta.sierraclub.org/pcs/ General Meeting Gear Corner Date: September 11, 2007 PCS Shopping Spree Time: 7:30 pm September 11, 2007 Where: Sports Basement ‘Summit Room’ Good News – we are having another Shopping Party at 1177 Kern Ave. the Sports Basement before September’s regular Sunnyvale, CA 94085 monthly meeting. That means free beer, snacks and a 20% discount on anything in the store. The party will Program: New Zealand be on Tuesday September 11th from 6 – 7:30 p.m. and will be immediately followed by our monthly meeting, Presenter: Kelly Maas from 7:30 – 9 p.m. To participate just come and identify yourself as a PCS Kelly finally fulfilled a longstanding goal earlier this member when you enter the store. year by visiting New Zealand. Though marginal If you haven't been to the Sports Basement before, they have just weather meant that I did little climbing, we still had about everything you need for hiking, biking, running, the opportunity to see and explore a wonderful snowboarding, camping and all things outdoors. Plus their prices country. Highlights included sea kayaking, are already 30-60% below retail so this will be a very good night to canyoning, glacier scrambling, climbing in near- save money on all your sporting needs. winter conditions, and hiking the Milford Track. Gear articles on the web Note that this location includes a shopping spree before the meeting. For details see Gear Corner. The website for American Alpine Institute has some very neat articles on gear selection for Alpine climbing, Directions: This is the old Frys building on Lawrence wilderness first aid kit content, mountain photography, Expressway.
    [Show full text]
  • NATIONAL PARK - CALIFORNIA UNITED STATES Historic Events DEPARTMENT of the Kings INTERIOR 1862 First White Man of Record Entered Area
    I II NATIONAL PARK - CALIFORNIA UNITED STATES Historic Events DEPARTMENT OF THE Kings INTERIOR 1862 First white man of record entered area. Joseph Hardin Thomas discovered the General Grant Tree, then unnamed. HAROLD L. ICKES, Secretary Canyon OPEN NATIONAL 1867 General Grant Tree measured; named by ALL Lucretia P. Baker, member of pioneer YEAR PARK family of the district. CALIFORNIA 1870 First settlers occupied Fallen Monarch MULE DEER ARE SEEN EVERYWHERE huge hollow log. NATIONAL PARK SERVICE IN THE PARK NEWTON B. DRURY, Director 1872 The Gamlin brothers built log house now COKTEi^rs known as Gamlin Pioneer Cabin and INGS CANYON NATIONAL rates the two great South Fork and used as museum. K PARK was created by act of Middle Fork Canyons. The Middle North Dome ........ Cover Congress, March 4,1940. It comprises Fork is reached only by trail by cross­ Cover photo by Laval Co., Inc. 710 square miles of superlative moun­ ing over Granite Pass or Cartridge A Description of Kings Canyon by 1878 Preemption claim surrounding the Gen­ eral Grant Tree surrendered to the Gov­ tain scenery in the heart of the Sierra Pass, by traversing the 12,000-foot John Muir (1838-1914) .... 4 ernment by Israel Gamlin. Nevada and three groves of giant se­ Mather Pass on the John Muir Trail, The Groves 6 quoias. In the creation of this park, the or by descending from road end at Forests and Flowers 6 Crabtree Camp on the North Fork of 1890 General Grant National Park (now Gen­ former General Grant National Park, Wildlife 6 eral Grant Grove Section of Kings Can­ with the addition of the Redwood the Kings into Tehipite Valley to Fishing 7 yon National Park) created by act of Mountain area, became the General view the famous Tehipite Dome.
    [Show full text]
  • WILDERNESS HIKING BISHOP CREEK SOUTH FORK Inyo National Forest
    WILDERNESS HIKING BISHOP CREEK SOUTH FORK Inyo National Forest SOUTH LAKE TRAILHEAD LOCATION whitebark pine replaces lodgepole and disappears From Hwy 395 in Bishop, turn west on Line Street above timberline where only a few herbaceous (Hwy 168). Drive 14 miles to South Lake Road and annuals are seen. Beyond Bishop Pass, the trail follow this to the trailhead (approximately 9 more drops into Dusy Basin and further down into Kings miles). Day use and overnight parking is located at Canyon National Park, where it then joins the John the end of the road. (9760’) Muir Trail. Trails beginning at South Lake lead to Green Lake, Dogs are NOT allowed in the National Park Treasure Lakes, Chocolate Lakes and Bishop Pass. backcountry and must be kept on a leash or at heel Fishing enthusiasts enjoy the many lakes available under verbal control outside of park boundaries. within a few miles of the trailhead. Guns are also NOT allowed in the National Park. BROWN AND GREEN LAKES BEAR CANISTERS ARE NOW REQUIRED on the The Green Lake trail begins at the east end of the Bishop Pass Trail (including Treasure Lakes and the parking lot and follows a stock trail upward through a Chocolate Lakes loop) and in Dusy Basin in Kings conifer forest where it joins with the main trail to Canyon National Park. Green Lake. The trail levels off into a lush mountain meadow below Brown Lake. Above this lake the trail TYEE LAKES TRAILHEAD LOCATION moves upward along a bench where Green Lake lies The trailhead for Tyee Lakes is located 4.5 miles up amidst gnarled, old whitebark pines.
    [Show full text]
  • SEARCH CONTINUES for MISSING HIKER Sixth Day of Intense Multiagency Search
    WILLIAM R. LUTZE Office of the Sheriff SHERIFF JOHN N. EROPKIN INYO COUNTY, CA Undersheriff “A Professional Service Agency” July 10, 2008 SEARCH CONTINUES FOR MISSING HIKER Sixth Day of Intense Multiagency Search Contact: Carma Roper, Public Information Officer (760) 878-0395 The sixth day of operation began this morning in search of Ric DeVan, a 44 year-old hiker from San Diego, California who went missing after a solo hike in the Bishop Pass/ Treasure Lakes area. California State OES has been essential in coordinating team involvement. Additional support teams arrived today from Marin County Search and Rescue and San Dimas Mountain Rescue to offer relief and supplement teams from Inyo County Search and Rescue, Tulare County Search and Rescue, Sequoia-Kings National Park Service, Inyo National Forest, Mono County Search and Rescue, and Los Angeles Sheriff’s Overhead Assistance Teams consisting of Sierra Madre Search and Rescue and Montrose Search and Rescue. In addition to ground crews charged with examining terrain in the John Muir Wilderness and Kings Canyon National Park areas from Mt. Agassiz to Mt. Gilbert and throughout Treasure Lakes and Bishop Pass, there are canine teams and three helicopters provided by Inyo National Forest, San Bernardino Aviation Unit, and Sequoia-Kings National Park Service. Approximately 60 people are dedicated to this search effort. “We treat every person that is lost as if they are one of our family members – this motivates our volunteer search teams to unselfishly continue their efforts,” said Inyo County Sheriff’s Sergeant, Keith Hardcastle. In a briefing early this morning, teams were instructed to be mindful of the weather changes.
    [Show full text]
  • Wringing Light out of Stone
    MOUNTAIN PROFILE THE PALISADES I DOUG ROBINSON Wringing Light out of Stone So this kid walks into the Palisades.... I was twenty, twenty-one—don’t remember. It was the mid-1960s, for sure. I’d been hanging in the Valley for a few seasons, wide-eyed and feeling lucky to be soaking up wisdom by holding the rope for Chuck Pratt, the finest crack climber of the Golden Age. Yeah, cracks: those stark highways up Yosemite’s smooth granite that only open up gradually to effort and humility. Later they begin to reveal another facet: shadowed, interior, drawing us toward hidden dimensions of our ascending passion. ¶ The Palisades, though, are alpine, which means they are even more fractured. It would take me a little longer to cut through to the true dimensions of even the obvious features. To my young imagination, they looked like the gleaming, angular granite in the too-perfect romantic pictures that I devoured out of Gaston Rébuffat’s mountaineering books. My earliest climbing partner, John Fischer, had already been there— crampons lashed to his tan canvas-and-leather pack—and he’d returned, wide-eyed, with the tale of having survived a starlit bivy on North Palisade. [Facing Page] Don Jensen climbing in the Palisades, Sierra Nevada, California, during the 1960s—captured in a photo that reflects the atmosphere of the French alpinist Gaston Rébuffat’s iconic images of the Alps. Many consider the Palisades to be the most alpine region of the High Sierra, although climate change has begun to affect the classic ice and snow climbs.
    [Show full text]
  • Norman Clyde Papers, 1912-Circa 2002, Bulk 1923-1972
    http://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/tf996nb44j No online items Finding Aid to the Norman Clyde Papers, 1912-circa 2002, bulk 1923-1972 Finding Aid written by Ria Sachs and Mary Millman; revised by Marjorie Bryer The Bancroft Library University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, California, 94720-6000 Phone: (510) 642-6481 Fax: (510) 642-7589 Email: [email protected] URL: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/ © 2007 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved. Finding Aid to the Norman Clyde BANC MSS 79/33 c 1 Papers, 1912-circa 2002, bulk 1923-1972 Finding Aid to the Norman Clyde Papers, 1912-circa 2002, bulk 1923-1972 Collection Number: BANC MSS 79/33 c The Bancroft Library University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, California Finding Aid Written By: Ria Sachs and Mary Millman; revised by Marjorie Bryer Date Completed: April 2007 © 2007 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved. Collection Summary Collection Title: Norman Clyde papers Date (inclusive): 1912-circa 2002, Date (bulk): bulk 1923-1972 Collection Number: BANC MSS 79/33 c Creators : Clyde, Norman, 1885-1972. Extent: Number of containers: 5 cartons, 1 boxLinear feet: 5.42 Repository: The Bancroft Library University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, California, 94720-6000 Phone: (510) 642-6481 Fax: (510) 642-7589 Email: [email protected] URL: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/ Abstract: The Norman Clyde Papers document the climbing adventures of, and offer insights into the life of, one of California's greatest mountaineers, and one of the foremost chroniclers of the Sierra Nevada range. They also help to preserve the history of mountaineering in the High Sierra.
    [Show full text]
  • Registration Registration No
    1/10/2018 Ideal-Logic Ritt Kellogg Memorial Fund Registration Registration No. Q7TD-564JG Submitted Jan 9, 2018 1:46pm by Michael Hasson Registration 2018 Ritt Kellogg Memorial Fund Waiting RKMF Expedition Grant 2017-18 Group Application for This is the group application for a RKMF Expedition Grant. If you have received approval, you may fill out Approval this application as a group. In this application you will be asked to provide important details concerning your expedition. Participant I. Expedition Summary Expedition Name Trompin' Through Talus: Thru-hiking the Sierra High Route Objectives The objective of our expedition will be to complete the full 195-mile Sierra High Route (SHR), also known as the Roper Route, from Kings Canyon to Twin Lakes. Location The route traverses the crest of the Sierra Nevada range. Because we will be navigating linearly we will not remain in one wilderness area or national park. However, significant portions of the route will lie within Kings Canyon National Park, Yosemite National Park, and several surrounding wilderness areas. Departure Date Jul 30, 2018 Return Date Aug 22, 2018 Days in the Field 23 Wilderness Character The SHR spans 195 miles across California’s Sierra Nevada mountains. It, for the most part, parallels the more heavily traveled John Muir Trail, but remains along the main Sierra crest above timberline rather than dipping below treeline. The SHR is not an established trail, although portions of the route follows various trails including the JMT. The larger portion of the SHR requires off-trail navigation through meadowlands, boulder fields, and high mountain passes.
    [Show full text]
  • Hiking Bishop Creek North Fork
    WILDERNESS HIKING BISHOP CREEK NORTH & MIDDLE FORKS Inyo National Forest SABRINA BASIN TRAILHEAD LOCATION NO PARKING is allowed in the campground for From Hwy 395 in Bishop, turn west on Line Street hikers. (9320’) (Hwy 168) and drive 18 miles to Lake Sabrina. Day use parking is at the end of the road. Overnight TRAIL DESCRIPTION parking is located at a turnout near the North Lake The Piute Pass trail eases up through a forest of turnoff. (9040’) lodgepole pine and quaking aspens before following the North Fork of Bishop Creek. Paintbrush, TRAIL DESCRIPTION columbine and penstemmon flank the trail as you The Sabrina Basin trail leads into a basin of 13,000- climb higher near the rusty cliffs of the Piute Crags foot granite peaks surrounding a number of alpine and Mt. Emerson. Entering the high country above lakes. Fishing is abundant and good for rainbow, Loch Leven, the glaciated canyon is floored with brown and brook trout. small alpine meadows. Yellow-bellied marmots can be seen sunning on rocks or dashing into the A steep path of switchbacks off the main trail leads to shadows. Over Piute Pass (11,423’) the trail drops George Lake. You can continue up and over Table into Humphreys Basin, filled with many high alpine Mtn to Tyee Lakes. The path over Table Mtn is a bit lakes. obscure but the views are remarkable. The Lamarck Lakes trail begins in the campground The main trail leads to Blue Lake, a beautiful spot for and heads south across two footbridges and through photography with the rugged Thompson Ridge a grove of aspen trees.
    [Show full text]
  • Scientists and Science in the Naming of Sierra Nevada Features Named by R
    Powell, John Wesley (1834‒1902). American explorer, scientist. Second director of the USGS, 1881‒1894. Mt. Powell (13,356 ft/4,071 m) Names on the Range: Scientists and Science in the Naming of Sierra Nevada Features named by R. B. Marshall, early 1900s. Also Powell Glacier. Figures in science and engineering for whom Sierra Nevada features are named Kenneth L. Taylor, Department of the History of Science, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019, USA. [email protected] Mt. Winchell (13,775 ft/4,199 m) Ritter, Karl (1779‒1859). German geographer. Mt. Ritter (13,157 ft/4,010 m) named by the Whitney Survey, 1864. (Ritter, one of the Abbot, Henry Larcom (1831‒1927). Soldier & engineer (surveyor on Pacific railroad; participant in Panama Canal planning). and Mt. Agassiz (13,893 ft/4,235 m), founders of modern geography, was a professor at Berlin when Whitney had studied there in 1840.) Mt. Abbot (13,715 ft/4,180 m) named by Whitney Survey, 1864. seen from the summit of Mt. Gayley (13,510 ft/4,118 m). Russell, Israel C. (1852‒1906). Geologist (with the Wheeler Survey, USGS, and Univ. of Michigan). Mt. Russell (14,094 ft/4,296 m) named Photo K. Taylor, 1963. It is hardly surprising if many geographical features the world over are named by (and not seldom for) the explorers and mappers who Agassiz, Louis (1807‒1873). Swiss-American naturalist. Mt. Agassiz (13,893 ft/4,235 m) named 1879 by L. A. Winchell early 1900s (by Marshall?). reconnoitered and charted them. One of the reasons names are given to conspicuous geographic elements—often mountains or prominent coastal (who called it Agassiz Needle).
    [Show full text]