Jean Dry Lake: Prevailing Winds EarthCache
Hidden : 3/11/2008
Difficulty:
2.5 out of 5
Terrain:
2 out of 5

Size: Size: other (other)

Join now to view geocache location details. It's free!

Watch

How Geocaching Works
Looking for a different adventure?

Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions in our disclaimer.

Geocache Description:


The easiest access to this Earthcache is off of the old Los Angeles Highway by way of the paved road at N 35 49.671, W 115 17.024. Follow your GPS receiver from here. For this Earthcache, you will be determining the direction of the prevailing winds by visually inspecting the boundaries of the valley around Jean Dry Lake. A compass or map of the area will be needed to determine direction.

Jean Dry Lake is a playa lakebed located just east of Jean. Playa lakebeds are common in the Mojave Desert. They form in the flat basin areas between mountain ranges where there is no outflow of water. These areas were previously valleys which may be filled with hundreds of feet of sediments from the surrounding mountains. Only the fine sediments such as sand, silt, or clay, reach the center of the playa lakebed. Other materials, such as gravels, cobbles, and boulders, tend to separate out before reaching the lakebed.

Sand dunes often form in association with playa lakebeds. Kelso Dunes, and the smaller dunes in the Cronese Valley along Interstate 15 near Mile 230 in California, are both examples of dune systems which were formed by wind blown, or aeolian sands. Other dune systems might not be much more than collections of sand which drop out in pockets of the rock of the surrounding mountains. Prevailing winds pick up material from the surface of the playa and blow until reaching an impediment, in this case, the mountains which surround the dry lake. When the winds slow down, the heavier sand material is dropped out, forming a dune.

Look around the edges of the valley which contains Jean Dry Lake. If you look carefully, you will be able to see color differences in the surface material and vegetation where the dunes are beginning to form. Using this information, deduce the direction of the prevailing winds.

To receive credit for this Earthcache:

1.) Send me a note telling me from which direction the prevailing winds are blowing from. Include an explanation supporting your determination.

Please consider posting photos of yourself, or the local geology, when you log this EarthCache. Photos can be an additional rewarding part of your journey, but posting them is not a requirement for logging this EarthCache, and is strictly optional.

The above information was compiled from the following sources:

Desert Process Working Group. Summary: Dunes. Online at: (visit link)

Digital Desert – Playas. Online at (visit link)

Tingley, J.V. et al. Geologic Tours in the Las Vegas Area. Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology Special Publication 16.

Wikipedia. Playa: (visit link)

Additional Hints (No hints available.)



Attributes

No attributes available

Advertising with Us

Inventory

There are no Trackables in this cache.

View past Trackables

What are Trackable Items?

Bookmark Lists

View all 8 bookmark lists...