| Deep Springs Valley |
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| valleys of california | |
| inyo county, california | |
| great basin | |
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GEOGRAPHY Deep Springs Lake is a seasonal Salt Lake , drying in the summer to produce a salt pan and filling in early spring due to snowmelt. Birds, and birdwatchers, flock to the lake during the spring and fall migrations. Surrounding the lake are numerous springs, some of them artesian, which gave the valley its name. The springs are home to the Deep Springs Black Toad (Bufo exul, or "exile toad"), an endemic species that occurs only in Deep Springs Valley. In the 1980s, a second population of the toads was established several miles away at Antelope Springs as a defense against extinction due to unforseeable disaster. The population of toads, however, appears to be stable, and even to benefit from the presence of cattle around the lake during the winter and spring. GEOLOGY On the hillsides of the southwestern end of the valley lie the Poleta Folds , a distinctly visible example of Crustal Folding frequently studied by geology students from the University Of California and California State educational systems. The intensely folded and clearly visible layers comprise the Cambrian -aged Poleta formation. Several complex fault systems add to the challenge for geology students to unravel the areas' history. The Poleta Folds field area is revered as one of the most complexly folded and faulted areas in California and has been used by generations of undergraduate-level Geology students around the United States and Canada . During a typical summer one can often find near-established trails leading to the best Outcrop s. Also easily visible at the base of the Inyo Mountains , in the southwestern end of the valley behind Deep Springs Lake, is a sizable Faultline . Up to 40 feet in height, it is evidence of a massive earthquake estimated to have occurred about 2000 years ago. The fault is still active, but studies suggest that it slips about every 4000 years. Deep Springs Lake is intermittently filled and actively precipitating Dolomite , understood to rarely occur in such conditions. POPULATION It is the home of Deep Springs College , a nontraditional two-year liberal arts institution. There are also ruins of an early small mining establishment, White Mountain City, in the northwest corner of the valley. SEE ALSO |
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