Tule Valley
Encyclopedia
Tule Valley, also known as White Valley, is a north-south trending endorheic valley within the Great Basin
(geographically), Great Basin Desert
(ecologically), and Basin and Range Province (tectonically) of west-central Utah
. It is bounded on the west by the Confusion Range
, on the east by the House Range
, to the north by the Middle Range and the Great Salt Lake Desert
, and the south by Wah Wah Valley
and the Wah Wah Mountains
. The central part of the valley has several knoll
s, the largest of which is Coyote Knolls. The White Valley name comes from the abundance of white rocks noted by James H. Simpson
in 1859. These rocks are mostly Lake Bonneville
marl
s in the valley floor.
horse
s which populate the valley. It is also used as a gateway to viewing and traveling toward the base of Notch Peak
, a 4,450 foot carbonate rock
cliff (2,200 foot of which is pure vertical drop), the tallest carbonate cliff in North America. The name "Tule
" is a reference to a swamp plant that probably was found at Coyote Springs during early exploration of the valley.
The valley itself is very isolated, and only has one paved road through its southern end, US Highway 6/US Highway 50. There are no permanent human residents of the valley, though shepherd
s are known to populate it in the spring. The center of the valley is a large playa
, the place where all precipitation from the drainage basin collects, since it is an isolated basin and watershed. This is the location of the lowest point in Millard County, Utah
.
alluvial sediment
s punctuated by chalky white Pleistocene
marls. The valley is a true graben
in the sense that it is down-faulted by normal faults on both sides of the valley. The knolls in the valley are horsts of Silurian
to Devonian
carbonates
.
watershed's volume of surface water averages 4000 acre.ft.
Great Basin
The Great Basin is the largest area of contiguous endorheic watersheds in North America and is noted for its arid conditions and Basin and Range topography that varies from the North American low point at Badwater Basin to the highest point of the contiguous United States, less than away at the...
(geographically), Great Basin Desert
Great Basin Desert
The Great Basin Desert is an area of nearctic high deserts across parts of Nevada, California, and Utah that extends into the Colorado River watershed , but which is mostly a portion of the central Nevada desert basins of the Great Basin.It along with the Escalante Desert, Mohave Desert, the...
(ecologically), and Basin and Range Province (tectonically) of west-central Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
. It is bounded on the west by the Confusion Range
Confusion Range
The Confusion Range is a north-south trending mountain range in west-central Utah. It is bounded by Snake Valley to the west, Tule Valley to the east, the Great Salt Lake Desert to the north, and the Ferguson Desert to the south. The range trends into the Burbank Hills, Mountain Home Range, and...
, on the east by the House Range
House Range
The House Range is a north-south trending mountain range in west-central Utah. It is famous for Notch Peak, one of the tallest limestone cliffs in the world, and a fossil Lagerstätte of Cambrian age, which has an array of Burgess Shale type fauna, including Elrathia kingii, a trilobite that is...
, to the north by the Middle Range and the Great Salt Lake Desert
Great Salt Lake Desert
The Great Salt Lake Desert is a large dry lake in northern Utah between the Great Salt Lake and the Nevada border which is noted for white sand from evaporite Lake Bonneville salt deposits...
, and the south by Wah Wah Valley
Wah Wah Valley
Wah Wah Valley is an endorheic valley within the Basin and Range of west-central Utah. It is bound by the Wah Wah Mountains to the west and south and the San Francisco Mountains to the east...
and the Wah Wah Mountains
Wah Wah Mountains
The Wah Wah Mountains are a north-south trending range in west-central Utah, part of the larger Basin and Range Province. It is bound by Pine Valley to the west, Wah Wah Valley to the east, the Escalante Desert to the south, and on trend with the Confusion Range to the north. The Wah Wah...
. The central part of the valley has several knoll
Hillock
A hillock or knoll is a small hill, usually separated from a larger group of hills such as a range. Hillocks are similar in their distribution and size to small mesas or buttes. The term is largely a British one...
s, the largest of which is Coyote Knolls. The White Valley name comes from the abundance of white rocks noted by James H. Simpson
James H. Simpson
James Hervey Simpson was an officer in the U.S. Army and a member of the United States Topographical Engineers.-Early years:He was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey on March 9, 1813, the son of John Simpson and Mary Brunson. He graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1832 and was...
in 1859. These rocks are mostly Lake Bonneville
Lake Bonneville
Lake Bonneville was a prehistoric pluvial lake that covered much of North America's Great Basin region. Most of the territory it covered was in present-day Utah, though parts of the lake extended into present-day Idaho and Nevada. Formed about 32,000 years ago, it existed until about 14,500 years...
marl
Marl
Marl or marlstone is a calcium carbonate or lime-rich mud or mudstone which contains variable amounts of clays and aragonite. Marl was originally an old term loosely applied to a variety of materials, most of which occur as loose, earthy deposits consisting chiefly of an intimate mixture of clay...
s in the valley floor.
Geographic features
Tule Valley's most prominent feature may be Coyote Springs, an important spring system for local wildlife and feralFeral
A feral organism is one that has changed from being domesticated to being wild or untamed. In the case of plants it is a movement from cultivated to uncultivated or controlled to volunteer. The introduction of feral animals or plants to their non-native regions, like any introduced species, may...
horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
s which populate the valley. It is also used as a gateway to viewing and traveling toward the base of Notch Peak
Notch Peak
Notch Peak is a distinctive summit located on Sawtooth Mountain in the House Range, west of Delta, Utah. The peak and the surrounding area are part of the Notch Peak Wilderness Study Area...
, a 4,450 foot carbonate rock
Carbonate rock
Carbonate rocks are a class of sedimentary rocks composed primarily of carbonate minerals. The two major types are limestone, which is composed of calcite or aragonite and dolostone, which is composed of the mineral dolomite .Calcite can be either dissolved by groundwater or precipitated by...
cliff (2,200 foot of which is pure vertical drop), the tallest carbonate cliff in North America. The name "Tule
Tule
Schoenoplectus acutus , called tule , common tule, hardstem tule, tule rush, hardstem bulrush, or viscid bulrush, is a giant species of sedge in the plant family Cyperaceae, native to freshwater marshes all over North America...
" is a reference to a swamp plant that probably was found at Coyote Springs during early exploration of the valley.
The valley itself is very isolated, and only has one paved road through its southern end, US Highway 6/US Highway 50. There are no permanent human residents of the valley, though shepherd
Shepherd
A shepherd is a person who tends, feeds or guards flocks of sheep.- Origins :Shepherding is one of the oldest occupations, beginning some 6,000 years ago in Asia Minor. Sheep were kept for their milk, meat and especially their wool...
s are known to populate it in the spring. The center of the valley is a large playa
Sink (geography)
A geographic sink is a depression within an endorheic basin where water collects with no visible outlet. Instead of discharging, the collected water is lost due to evaporation and/or penetration...
, the place where all precipitation from the drainage basin collects, since it is an isolated basin and watershed. This is the location of the lowest point in Millard County, Utah
Millard County, Utah
Millard County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. In 2010, its population was 12,420. It was named for Millard Fillmore, thirteenth President of the United States. Its county seat is Fillmore and the largest city is Delta.-Geography:...
.
Geology
The geology of Tule Valley consists of QuaternaryQuaternary
The Quaternary Period is the most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in the geologic time scale of the ICS. It follows the Neogene Period, spanning 2.588 ± 0.005 million years ago to the present...
alluvial sediment
Sediment
Sediment is naturally occurring material that is broken down by processes of weathering and erosion, and is subsequently transported by the action of fluids such as wind, water, or ice, and/or by the force of gravity acting on the particle itself....
s punctuated by chalky white Pleistocene
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
marls. The valley is a true graben
Graben
In geology, a graben is a depressed block of land bordered by parallel faults. Graben is German for ditch. Graben is used for both the singular and plural....
in the sense that it is down-faulted by normal faults on both sides of the valley. The knolls in the valley are horsts of Silurian
Silurian
The Silurian is a geologic period and system that extends from the end of the Ordovician Period, about 443.7 ± 1.5 Mya , to the beginning of the Devonian Period, about 416.0 ± 2.8 Mya . As with other geologic periods, the rock beds that define the period's start and end are well identified, but the...
to Devonian
Devonian
The Devonian is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic Era spanning from the end of the Silurian Period, about 416.0 ± 2.8 Mya , to the beginning of the Carboniferous Period, about 359.2 ± 2.5 Mya...
carbonates
Carbonate rock
Carbonate rocks are a class of sedimentary rocks composed primarily of carbonate minerals. The two major types are limestone, which is composed of calcite or aragonite and dolostone, which is composed of the mineral dolomite .Calcite can be either dissolved by groundwater or precipitated by...
.
Tule Valley watershed
The Tule Valley hydrologic unit is an area of several Utah valleys and ridgelines of the Basin and Range Province. The endorheicEndorheic
An endorheic basin is a closed drainage basin that retains water and allows no outflow to other bodies of water such as rivers or oceans...
watershed's volume of surface water averages 4000 acre.ft.