Carson Sink
Encyclopedia
Carson Sink is a playa
in the northeastern portion of the Carson Desert
that was formerly the terminus of the Carson River
. The sink is currently fed by drainage canals of the Truckee-Carson Irrigation District
. The southeastern fringe of the sink where the canals enter is a wetland of the Central Basin and Range ecoregion
, which is mostly included within the Fallon National Wildlife Refuge
and the Stillwater Wildlife Management Area. This area serves as an important stopover for migrating waterfowl. The Sehoo Formation is in the south of the Carson Sink.
. The Lone Rock working area includes the Bravo-20 range which has numerous targets for combat aircraft training. Lone Rock is in the middle of a Bravo-20 live bombing area and is a solitary pinnacle of rock through the playa that is held sacred by the Paiute
.
, the lakebed of which is now the Lahontan Basin. The Carson Trail used during the California Gold Rush
across the Lahontan Basin included a section from through the Forty Mile Desert to the first drinkable water on the Carson River
. The Carson Sink station of the Pony Express
was built in March 1860. The Carson Sink UFO incident was in July 1952. In 1984 the natural dike between the Carson Sink and the Humboldt Sink
was breached by the Nevada Department of Transportation
to prevent Interstate 80
and the town of Lovelock
from flooding due to unusually heavy snowfall in the preceding three years. The sinks remained connected by water until 1987.
Sink (geography)
A geographic sink is a depression within an endorheic basin where water collects with no visible outlet. Instead of discharging, the collected water is lost due to evaporation and/or penetration...
in the northeastern portion of the Carson Desert
Carson Desert
The Carson Desert is a desert in the Lahontan Basin and the desert valley of the Churchill County desert region which receives an average annual precipitation. The desert is the low valley area between the adjacent mountain ranges, while the larger watershed includes the interior slopes of the...
that was formerly the terminus of the Carson River
Carson River
The Carson River is a northwestern Nevada river that empties into the Carson Sink, an endorheic basin. The main stem of the river is long....
. The sink is currently fed by drainage canals of the Truckee-Carson Irrigation District
Truckee-Carson Irrigation District
The Truckee-Carson Irrigation District is a political subdivision of the State of Nevada, which operates dams at Lake Tahoe, on the Truckee River and Lake Lahontan as well as of canals and of drains in support of agriculture in Lyon County and Churchill County.Diversion of water by the TCID from...
. The southeastern fringe of the sink where the canals enter is a wetland of the Central Basin and Range ecoregion
Central Basin and Range ecoregion
The Central Basin and Range ecoregion is a Level III ecoregion designated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency with 26 different Level IV ecoregions...
, which is mostly included within the Fallon National Wildlife Refuge
Fallon National Wildlife Refuge
Fallon National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1931 as a refuge and breeding ground for birds and wild animals. It is located in the Lahontan Valley of western Nevada, at the terminus of the Carson River...
and the Stillwater Wildlife Management Area. This area serves as an important stopover for migrating waterfowl. The Sehoo Formation is in the south of the Carson Sink.
Carson Sink and Lone Rock working areas
The Carson Sink and Lone Rock working areas are the northwest portion of both the Carson Sink and the Fallon Range Training ComplexNaval Air Station Fallon
Naval Air Station Fallon or NAS Fallon is the United States Navy's premier air-to-air and air-to-ground training facility. It is located southeast of the city of Fallon in western Nevada in the United States. Since 1996, it has been home to the Naval Fighter Weapons School , and the surrounding...
. The Lone Rock working area includes the Bravo-20 range which has numerous targets for combat aircraft training. Lone Rock is in the middle of a Bravo-20 live bombing area and is a solitary pinnacle of rock through the playa that is held sacred by the Paiute
Paiute
Paiute refers to three closely related groups of Native Americans — the Northern Paiute of California, Idaho, Nevada and Oregon; the Owens Valley Paiute of California and Nevada; and the Southern Paiute of Arizona, southeastern California and Nevada, and Utah.-Origin of name:The origin of...
.
History
The Carson Sink was a deep portion of Pleistocene Lake LahontanLake Lahontan
Lake Lahontan was a large endorheic Pleistocene lake of modern northwestern Nevada that extended into northeastern California and southern Oregon...
, the lakebed of which is now the Lahontan Basin. The Carson Trail used during the California Gold Rush
California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
across the Lahontan Basin included a section from through the Forty Mile Desert to the first drinkable water on the Carson River
Carson River
The Carson River is a northwestern Nevada river that empties into the Carson Sink, an endorheic basin. The main stem of the river is long....
. The Carson Sink station of the Pony Express
Pony Express
The Pony Express was a fast mail service crossing the Great Plains, the Rocky Mountains, and the High Sierra from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, California, from April 3, 1860 to October 1861...
was built in March 1860. The Carson Sink UFO incident was in July 1952. In 1984 the natural dike between the Carson Sink and the Humboldt Sink
Humboldt Sink
Humboldt Sink is an intermittent dry lake bed, approximately 11 mi long, and 4 mi across, in northwestern Nevada in the United States...
was breached by the Nevada Department of Transportation
Nevada Department of Transportation
The Nevada Department of Transportation is a government agency in the U.S. state of Nevada. NDOT is responsible for maintaining and improving Nevada's highway system, which includes U.S. highways and Interstate highways within the state's boundaries. The department is notable for its...
to prevent Interstate 80
Interstate 80
Interstate 80 is the second-longest Interstate Highway in the United States, following Interstate 90. It is a transcontinental artery running from downtown San Francisco, California to Teaneck, New Jersey in the New York City Metropolitan Area...
and the town of Lovelock
Lovelock, Nevada
Lovelock is a city in western Nevada that is the county seat of Pershing County, the location of a prison, and the namesake of the area's Cold War gunnery range...
from flooding due to unusually heavy snowfall in the preceding three years. The sinks remained connected by water until 1987.