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Description |
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In August of
2004, the Furnace Creek area was hit by a devastating
flashflood. A huge thunderstorm cell moved into the upper
drainage, and flows in Furnace Creek apparently exceeded
4,000 cubic feet per second. A diversion at Gower Gulch
was meant to prevent flooding at the Furnace Creek resort,
but the flood overtopped the diversion, and swept through
the complex, removing miles of highway, and killing
at least two people. Here at the Badwater Junction,
portions of the old road are still visible. |
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Huge changes were
apparent on the alluvial fan connected to Gower Gulch, the
diversion point. Large orange boulders were scattered
across the surface of the fan. The fan itself was
channeled several feet deeper than last year. |
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The second-year
students set out to document the changes that had occurred
on the Gower Gulch fan. Fortunately, the project started
in the previous year, so they had a baseline of data to
work from. |
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I started up Gower
Gulch to see the effects of the flood in the middle and
upper parts of the channel. The scenic canyon cuts through
badland exposures of the Furnace Creek Formation. In this
photo, a fault divides the red-brown rock from the
greenish rock. |
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In the upper reaches of
Gower Gulch, there were spectacular panoramas of the
badlands. Most of the yellow and brown material is silt
and claystone of the Furnace Creek formation. The black
rocks forming the skyline are dikes and intrusions of
basalt, which are more resistant to erosion. |
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Another view of the
badlands. |
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Washed out roads
prevented our planned visit to Ubehebe Craters, so we
stopped at Salt Creek to see if any pupfish were around.
"Fish" you say? Actually, yes, there are 3 or 4 species of
fish in Death Valley. They are descended from a fish in
the genus Cyprinodon that lived in Lake Manly during the
ice ages when the Death Valley graben was under 600 feet
of fresh water. As the ice ages ended, the lake dried up
and the fish took refuge in the few springs and
watercourses that still existed, some in salt water, some
in fresh. In the 20,000 years that they have been
isolated, they have developed into distinct species. |
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And by golly if there weren't a few out
and about! |
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The next stop on our
unplanned agenda was new to me: the Keane Wonder Mine. The
miners were seeking gold and silver during the early part
of the 20th century. The accessible part of the mine was a
mill complex at the base of the mountain. The tunnels were
a mile away and 1,500 feet higher. Ores were transported
by aerial tramway, which is still visible. The tram was
operated by gravity, the heavy, full ore cars pulling the
tram down, and pulling the empty cars up. To be a
passenger on one of the cars was apparently an "e ticket"
ride! |
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