One of the highlights of the trip was Mono Lake. Mono Lake is the site of the LA water wars. Basically a bunch of rich people wanted to develop the San Fernando Valley and LA area and built a bunch of infrasture to divert water from all the tributaries of Mono Lake down south. The lake receeded a lot before the courts put a stop to it. This exposed some calcium calcite columns that are known as toufa columns (the tall things in the picture below):
This is a hot spring that was not very hot. Mono Lake is in the background. On the third day, we went to some hot springs. Some people jumped in. I waded. It wasn't very hot and kind of slimy. I'm sure it was worth it but I didn't feel like being cold because it was 30 degrees out.
Another thing I was really happy about was that I got to see what glacial till is (picture below). I worked on a few projects in New York and Canada this past summer that was on glacial till and I had no idea what it was. It's basicaly sand and rocks. But I feel much better knowing what it is and have more confidence next time I run across a project that involves till.
If you look closely at this picture below, you can see some people. We hiked and climbed all over these rocks. In the background, you can see the Sierra Nevadas.
1 comment:
this terrain looks very interesting and unfamiliar (like from outer space) and yet it is very beautiful. reminds me of the time we ended up in nairobi and the land there looked so different!
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