Middle Alkali Lake Earthcache EarthCache
Hidden : 11/20/2009
Difficulty:
2 out of 5
Terrain:
2 out of 5

Size: Size: not chosen (not chosen)

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Geocache Description:

Alt cords: N 41 32.190 W 120 06.370
***MATERIALS NEEDED: A PH TESTING KIT – AVAILABLE FROM MOST GARDENING / HARDWARE STORES.***

This earthcache is located above 4700 ft. and thus will experience snow during the winter! Safety first!

As an earthcache, there is no “box” or “container” to discover. Rather, with this cache, you discover something about the geology of the area. For more info, consult www.earthcache.org

This earthcache is a simple pull off into one of two pulloff spots available on the road as you travel west OR east. This earthcache is only about 3 miles west of the region’s hot springs. On July 4, join local residents who drive out onto the lakes and shoot off fireworks! The show is quite nice!

Geology:
Middle Alkali Lake is one of three lakes in the sedimentary Surprise Valley region formed as a result of faulting from the Surprise Valley fault. The resulting valley is bound by the Warner Range to the west and the Hays Canyon Range to the east in Nevada. The primary geolith is Tertiary lavas and pyroclastic rocks. Surprise Valley is 55 miles long and varies from 8 to 10 miles wide.

These three lakes are called ephemeral lakes. An ephemeral water body is one where water exists in it for only a short time after a precipitation event, in this case usually snow. These lakes are different than seasonal lakes that show up in many maps of the west. These seasonal lakes are full for a predicatable and longer time each season. In the case of an ephemeral lake like this one, the time it has ANY moisture in it is very brief, and is totally dependent upon precipitation. In addition, this (and most) ephemeral bodies of water do not have a functioning/extant outlet. Thus, the water stays here until it evaporates, is absorbed into the groundwater, or is consumed by animals and plants. When the water is gone, it leaves behind concentrated deposits of saline and alkali, forming the unique landscape that you see in front of you.

Prior to 1943, Middle Alkali Lake produced up to a few tons of salt per year for California salt mining interests. The salt was collected as moist brine, then recovered successfully using a solar evaporation process.

As a geologic side note, the sand dunes visible to the east are the largest set of desert sand dunes in northern and central California.

Geo-History: Some would think that this ghostly landscape was unchanging, effectively frozen in time. However, in ancient history (ice age) this lakebed was up to 550 feet underwater! In fact, on good days, you can look west to the Warner Range and see the line in the rocks that marks the high water point for this lake. In addition, in 1951, in a part of Upper Lake about 10 miles Northeast of Cedarville, Mud Volcanoes erupted, blowing chunks of mud more than a mile. Within a few hours, the eruptions had produced more than 300,000 tons of mud, building miniature volcanoes as much as 15 feet high. Within a week however, the thermal activity had been reduced to a series of mud pots. This was not a volcanic eruption but rather a result of excess pressure that seems to have built up in the ground under the hot springs.
Also part of this alkaline environment lie a series of hot springs, most located on the eastern edge of Middle Alkali Lake and line up along the Surprise Valley, or in parallel lines to it. It is believed that the hot springs are caused, like many hot springs, by groundwater sinking into the crust along fracture zones. It then absorbs heat from the molten rocks underground, and finally bubbles to the surface. People in the Surprise Valley area hope to eventually harness the geothermal power of these springs.

Congrads to Rat & Mushroom for the FTF on January 1, 2010.

Logging Requirements:
Send the answers to #1-#3 to me through my geocaching profile.

1. List the name “GC21789 Middle Alkali Lake Earthcache” in the first line of your email. Also, list the number of people in your group.
2. Compare textures of the alkali (white) and reddish-brown ash soil. List your observations.
3. Using a ph kit (available at most hardware stores in the gardening area), list the ph of the white alkali substance. YOU WILL NEED TO PARK AND WALK DOWN ONTO THE DRY LAKEBED. If necessary you may collect a SMALL sample and test it at home prior to posting your log.
4. (Per current gc.com guidelines, photos are no longer allowed to be required. HOWEVER they are encouraged, since they can help clarify that you have visited the location if your other logging requirement answers are vague). Post as part of your log, a picture of yourself and your GPS with the lake visible in the frame.

I will only respond if you have incomplete logging requirements. Go ahead and log your cache

Resources:Roadside Geology of Northern and Central California. David Alt et. Al. 2006.Online Full-text Article “Salt in California (visit link)

Additional Hints (No hints available.)



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