Lake Manly
Encyclopedia
Lake Manly is a pluvial
, former freshwater
, endorheic, rift lake
that filled the Death Valley
basin of Inyo County, California
through the Holocene
before the area's climate change
d to desert
. Following its isolation from the Colorado River system, Lake Manly receded by evaporation with Badwater Basin, Middle Basin, and Cotton Ball Marsh occupying the space left behind. At its greatest extent Lake Manly was roughly 80 mi (128.7 km) long and 600 ft (182.9 m) deep.
s. Being fed by the Amargosa River
and Salt Creek, this aquifer is barely visible above ground at Badwater Basin, at -282 ft.
Shoreline Butte has easy-to-see strandline
s formed by wave action from the ancient lake. These features were created by stands of the lake, which would change its depth over time and also cause slight changes in climate. The conditions under which this lake existed are called "pluvial
" by geologists instead of glacial because glaciers did not directly touch Death Valley, but the meltwater from the glaciers and the cooler and wetter climate of the time affected the valley. Approximately 8000 ft (2,438.4 m) of gravel, sand, and mud overlay the bedrock of the valley floor.
Lake Manly is named after William L. Manly
, who was among the original Death Valley party in 1849. Manly and a companion hiked out of Death Valley into the Greater Los Angeles Area
, where he found help and returned to rescue his party.
Pluvial
In geology and climatology, a pluvial was an extended period of abundant rainfall lasting many thousands of years. Pluvial is also applied to the sediments of these periods . The term is especially applied to such periods during the Pleistocene Epoch...
, former freshwater
Freshwater
Fresh water is naturally occurring water on the Earth's surface in ice sheets, ice caps, glaciers, bogs, ponds, lakes, rivers and streams, and underground as groundwater in aquifers and underground streams. Fresh water is generally characterized by having low concentrations of dissolved salts and...
, endorheic, rift lake
Rift lake
A rift lake is a lake formed as a result of subsidence related to movement on faults within a rift zone, an area of extensional tectonics in the continental crust. They are often found within rift valleys and may be very deep...
that filled the Death Valley
Death Valley
Death Valley is a desert valley located in Eastern California. Situated within the Mojave Desert, it features the lowest, driest, and hottest locations in North America. Badwater, a basin located in Death Valley, is the specific location of the lowest elevation in North America at 282 feet below...
basin of Inyo County, California
Inyo County, California
-National protected areas:* Death Valley National Park * Inyo National Forest * Manzanar National Historic Site-Major highways:* U.S. Route 6* U.S. Route 395* State Route 127* State Route 136* State Route 168* State Route 178...
through the Holocene
Holocene
The Holocene is a geological epoch which began at the end of the Pleistocene and continues to the present. The Holocene is part of the Quaternary period. Its name comes from the Greek words and , meaning "entirely recent"...
before the area's climate change
Climate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
d to desert
Desert
A desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than...
. Following its isolation from the Colorado River system, Lake Manly receded by evaporation with Badwater Basin, Middle Basin, and Cotton Ball Marsh occupying the space left behind. At its greatest extent Lake Manly was roughly 80 mi (128.7 km) long and 600 ft (182.9 m) deep.
Background
As Lake Manly evaporated to the surface of Death Valley, it left a remarkable legacy. Under the surface of Death Valley is one of the world's largest aquiferAquifer
An aquifer is a wet underground layer of water-bearing permeable rock or unconsolidated materials from which groundwater can be usefully extracted using a water well. The study of water flow in aquifers and the characterization of aquifers is called hydrogeology...
s. Being fed by the Amargosa River
Amargosa River
The Amargosa River is an intermittent waterway, long, in southern Nevada and eastern California in the United States. It drains a high desert region, the Amargosa Valley in the Amargosa Desert northwest of Las Vegas, into the Mojave Desert, and finally into Death Valley where it disappears into...
and Salt Creek, this aquifer is barely visible above ground at Badwater Basin, at -282 ft.
Shoreline Butte has easy-to-see strandline
Strandline
The strandline, or high water mark, is the area at the top of a beach where debris is deposited. Where there are tides, this line is formed by the highest position of the tide, and moves up and down the beach on a fortnightly cycle...
s formed by wave action from the ancient lake. These features were created by stands of the lake, which would change its depth over time and also cause slight changes in climate. The conditions under which this lake existed are called "pluvial
Pluvial
In geology and climatology, a pluvial was an extended period of abundant rainfall lasting many thousands of years. Pluvial is also applied to the sediments of these periods . The term is especially applied to such periods during the Pleistocene Epoch...
" by geologists instead of glacial because glaciers did not directly touch Death Valley, but the meltwater from the glaciers and the cooler and wetter climate of the time affected the valley. Approximately 8000 ft (2,438.4 m) of gravel, sand, and mud overlay the bedrock of the valley floor.
Lake Manly is named after William L. Manly
William L. Manly
William Lewis Manly was an American pioneer of the mid-nineteenth century. He was first a fur hunter, a guide of Westward bound caravans, a seeker of gold, then a farmer and writer in his later years...
, who was among the original Death Valley party in 1849. Manly and a companion hiked out of Death Valley into the Greater Los Angeles Area
Greater Los Angeles Area
The Greater Los Angeles Area, or the Southland, is a term used for the Combined Statistical Area sprawled over five counties in the southern part of California, namely Los Angeles County, Orange County, San Bernardino County, Riverside County and Ventura County...
, where he found help and returned to rescue his party.