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Geology of Taylor Creek Watershed Lake Tahoe
By Jason Hudak- Geology 103- Prof. Lawler- June 17,2013- Photo by author
LAKE TAHOE
Map from ohv.parks.ca.gov
Rainbow TrailI decided to take to do my field assignment at Taylor Creek. I have been there many times to enjoy and take it all in but this time as my project. There is a trail called Rainbow trail that takes you throughout the area with views of all different plant life, wildlife, a creek, marsh, Lake Tahoe, The Sierra Nevada mountain range, and so much more. I took pictures of my observations and found pictures of wildlife I have seen in the past. Every time I go there I see something new and exciting. You never know what you will see or whose path you will cross!
• Located in West shore of Lake Tahoe Basin, Sierra Nevada Mountain range
• Elevation-6,300 ft. (Visitor center)• Made up of forest, meadow, marsh, stream, lagoon, and
sand beach(Visitor center)• Flooding occurs and marshes and meadows capture and
filter sediment rich in nutrients for plant life are filtered and clean water flows to Lake(visitor center)
Watershed Facts
Sierra Nevada Mountain Range• 400 to 130 million years ago, area where range
is today was covered by ocean(Resendes)• Plate tectonics created the mountain range
and volcanic activity we know today(Resendes)• In a process called subduction, the Pacific Plate
dropped under the North American Plate(Resendes)
• During late Paleozoic Era (approx. 250 million years ago), the pressure and friction of plates melted the Pacific Plate forming plumes of plutonic rock that eventually surfaced(Resendes)
• A massive batholith formed as the plutons came together and formed the Sierra Nevada(Resendes)
• Glaciers created the landscape we see today(Resendes)
Map from www.sierranevadaphotos.com
Map from geomaps.wr.usgs.gov
Mt. Tallac
Photo by author
• The highest peak rising from the shoreline in the Tahoe Basin at 9,734 feet in elevation (Facts and Info)
• Plutons of molten rock surfaced and came in contact with sedimentary rock from the shallow Sierra sea (Tahoe Adventure Sports)
• All along the tops and edges of the plutons, the sandstone, mudstone, and limestone rock partially melted allowing new types of rock to form in its place (Tahoe Adventure Sports)
• This rock is metamorphic rock and is the dark rock seen on Mt. Tallac (Tahoe Adventure Sports)
Granite Rock
Photo by author
• Igneous rock (King)• Formed by slow crystallization of magma below
Earth’s surface (King)• Made up of mainly of quartz and feldspar with
minor amounts of mica, amphiboles and other minerals. (King)
• At the surface granite is exposed in the cores of many mountain ranges, within large areas known as "batholiths," and in the core areas of continents known as "shields." (King)
• Most abundant rock in the continental crust (King)
North American Black Bears
Photo from www.tahoebest.com
Photo from www.torykallman.com
Photo from www.jonpaulgallery.com
Photo from tahoeculture.com
• Scientiffically known as Ursus americanus. • Quite docile and considered by many to be the clown of the
forest (Rogers)• Population is about 750,000 in United States and Northern
Mexico (Rogers)• Wild male black bears of breeding age usually weigh
between 125 and 500 pounds (Rogers)• Wild females usually weigh between 90 and 300 (Rogers)• Preferred foods consist of nuts, acorns, fruit, insects,
succulent greens. Bears will eat just about anything, especially living with the human population as they know they can get food very easily (Rogers)
• Evolved from Ursavus in Miocene, approximately 25 MYA (Mclellan, Bruce)
• Size of Ursus americanus has gotten smaller since first appeared in Pleistocene Era (Mclellan, Bruce)
Kokanee Salmon
Photo from jacquiprovost.wordpress.com
• From genus family Oncorhynchus nerka (USGS)• Landlocked cousins of the sea-going Sockeye Salmon were introduced to Lake
Tahoe in 1944 by biologists working on the lake's north shore. (USDA)• The fish have adapted to the alpine environment (USDA)• Responsible for the disappearance of three cladoceran species in Lake Tahoe
(USGS)• Each autumn, nature calls mature Kokanee to return to the streams from which
they were hatched, select a mate, spawn and die (USDA)• Fossils date back to Late Pleistocene (Henderson)
Photo from lakesammkokanee.blogspot.com
Meadow Penstemon
Photo by author
• Figwort Family (Scrophulariaceae). Perennial forbs or sub-shrubs to shrubs with attractive flowers (Ogle and Peterson)
• Common to the western United States. (Ogle and Peterson)• Growth begins in early spring and flowers appear in May
through July depending on species (Ogle and Peterson)• Meadow Penstemon is found on moderately moist to dry slopes,
meadows, and streambanks from 1300 to 3300 m in elevation. (Ogle and Peterson)
• Grows best on well-drained soils • Desirable forages for deer, antelope, and birds either as herbage
or seed (Ogle and Peterson)• Native Americans used species of penstemon to make washes for
eyes and skin sores (USGS)• Flowers adapted for pollination by small bees (Fertig)
Cited workFertig, Walter (Date Unknown). Plant of the Week, Rydberg’s penstemon. Retrieved from http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/penstemon_rydbergii.shtml
Henderson, Heidi (2009). Mystery Of Landlocked Sockeye In The Fossil Record. Retrieved from http://www.science20.com/fossil_huntress/mystery_landlocked_sockeye_fossil_record
King, Hobart (Date Unknown). Granite: What is Granite? What is Granite Used For?. Retrieved from http://geology.com/rocks/granite.shtml
Lake Tahoe facts and Info: The geological History of the Lake Tahoe Basin (Author and Date Unknown). Retrieved from http://www.tahoecam.com/tahoefacts.html
Mclellan, Bruce and Reiner David. C (Date Unknown). A Review of Bear Evolution. Retrieved from http://www.bearbiology.com/fileadmin/tpl/Downloads/URSUS/Vol_9/McLellan_Reiner_Vol_9.pdf
Ogle, Daniel G and Peterson, J. Scott- USDA NRCS Idaho State Office & the National Plant Data Center. (Date Unknown) Plant Guide. Retrieved from http://plants.usda.gov/plantguide/pdf/pg_perya.pdf
Resendes, Mary Ann (2012). Geology of The Sierra Nevada. Retrieved from http://www.sierrahistorical.org/geology-sierra-nevadas
Cited Work ContinuedRogers, Lynn and Bear League (Date Unknown). Bear Facts. Retrieved from http://www.savebears.org/info/bearFacts.html
Tahoe Adventure Sports(Date Unknown). The Lake Tahoe Story: A brief History of the Lake Tahoe Geology. Retrieved from http://www.tahoecam.com/tahoefacts.html
Taylor Creek Visitor Center. Visitor Center Rd, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150
USDA Forest Service (Date Unknown). Background Information the Kokanee Salmon of Lake Tahoe. Retrieved from http://www.fs.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsinternet/!ut/p/c4/04_SB8K8xLLM9MSSzPy8xBz9CP0os3gjAwhwtDDw9_AI8zPyhQoY6BdkOyoCAGixyPg!/?ss=110519&navtype=BROWSEBYSUBJECT&cid=STELPRDB5196661&navid=150130000000000&pnavid=150000000000000&position=Feature*&ttype=detail&pname=Lake%20Tahoe%20Basin%20Mgt%20Unit-%20Nature%20&%20Science
USGS (Date Unknown). Nonindigenous Aquatic Species, Oncorhynchus nerka. Retrieved from http://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/factsheet.aspx?SpeciesID=915
USGS (Date Unknown). Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, Flowers of Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument. Retrieved from http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/birds/chekbird/r6/florwild.htm