The Great Basin* is the largest area of contiguous endorheic basin watersheds in North America. It spans across sections of Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Oregon, California and the Mexican state of Baja California. It is noted for both its arid climate and the 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 100 miles (160 km) away at the summit of Mount Whitney. The region spans several physiographic divisions, biomes/ecoregions, and deserts.
The term "Great Basin" is applied to hydrographic, biological, floristic, physiographic, topographic, and ethnographic geographic areas. The name was originally coined by John C. Frémont, who, based on information gleaned from Joseph R. Walker as well as his own travels, recognized the hydrographic nature of the landform as having no connection to the ocean. The hydrographic definition is the most commonly used and is the only one with a definitive border. The other definitions yield not only different geographical boundaries of Great Basin regions, but regional borders that vary from source to source.
For the purpose of this Earthcache, we will concentrate on the hydrographic geographic definition of the area.
The Hydrographic Geographic Definition:
The hydrographic Great Basin is a 209,162 square miles (541,730 km2) area that drains internally. All precipitation in the region evaporates, sinks underground or flows into lakes (mostly saline). As observed by Frémont, creeks, streams, or rivers find no outlet to either the Gulf of Mexico or the Pacific Ocean. The region is bounded by the Wasatch Mountains to the east, the Sierra Nevada and Cascade Ranges to the west, and the Snake River Basin to the north. The south rim is less distinct. The Great Basin includes most of Nevada, half of Utah, substantial portions of Oregon and California and small areas of Idaho, Wyoming, and Mexico. The term "Great Basin" is slightly misleading; the region is actually made up of many small basins. The Great Salt Lake, Pyramid Lake, and the Humboldt Sink are a few of the "drains" in the Great Basin. The Salton Sink is another closed basin within the Great Basin.
The Great Basin Divide separates the Great Basin from the watersheds draining to the Pacific Ocean. The southernmost portion of the Great Basin is the watershed area of the Laguna Salada. The Great Basin's longest and largest river is the Bear River of 350 mi (560 km), and the largest single watershed is the Humboldt Eiver drainage of roughly 17,000 sq mi (44,000 km2). Most Great Basin precipitation is snow, and the precipitation that neither evaporates nor is extracted for human use will sink into groundwater aquifers, while evaporation of collected water occurs from geographic sinks. Lake Tahoe, North America's largest alpine lake, is part of the Great Basin's central Lahontan subregion.
The spot where you are standing is just east of the Northeastern California boundary of the Great Basin. The closest lake to the west is Fordyce Lake, while Donner Lake is 3 miles to the East.
How to Log this Earthcache:
Send me your answers BEFORE logging the find.
In order to claim the find, send me an email using the link just below the Earthcache title with the answers to the following questions:
1) It snows quite frequently in this area during winter. After the snow melts, in which direction would the water flow?
2) Assuming that the water from melting snow goes into one of the lakes nearby, onto which lake would the water flow?
3) From this location, can you spot any change in elevation that might give you a clue as to where would the water flow? In which direction does the terrain slope up (for reference, the text on the nearby highway marker faces north)?
4) What does your GPS receiver say is the elevation at your present location? If you do not have a GPS with you, use your phone. many phones and several geocaching apps can tell you your present elevation.
5) The Earthcache guidelines changed in June of 2019 to allow CO's to make pictures a requirement. Posting a picture is now a requirement for this Earthcache. Post a picture of yourself or your entourage anywhere near the posted coordinates.Your face does not have to be in the picture, but something that identifies your geocaching nickname has to be in the picture instead. I'm forced to require this because of cheaters that try to get their answers out of Google Maps, so thank them.
Send me the answers to these questions along with the GC code and the number of people in your party (with their geo nicknames) BEFORE you claim the find. I reserve the right to delete your log if you log the find first even if your answers are correct when I get them. I'm pretty lenient with every other requirement except this one.
*Source=Wikipedia.
