Lakes, Wetlands, and Meadows: Past Climate and Environments of the Playas on the Nevada Test and Training Range, Nellis Air Force Base

Summary

Archaeologists are aware of the potential for late Pleistocene/early Holocene pluvial lake deposits to be associated with modern playas in the central and northern parts of the Great Basin. However, playas located farther south in the Great Basin do not appear to have supported pluvial lakes during past wet climate cycles. The five playas included in this study—the Indian Springs playa, Dog Bone Lake playa, Three Lakes Valley playa, the playas in Cactus Flat, and Pahute Mesa playa—are thought to have been either too far south, too low in elevation, or located in hydrographic basins that are too small to have supported pluvial lakes. This report presents evidence that the size of the drainage basin discharging annual precipitation to the playa is a critical component in the paleohydrology of pluvial lakes, and basins below a critical size contained wetlands, seasonal lakes, and grassy meadows instead of perennial lakes. An analysis of all these playa basins has the potential to refine our knowledge of the physical parameters controlling the past environments of all basins located on and near the Nellis Test and Training Range.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Nellis Air Force Base Cultural Resources Archive   •
• Nellis AFB - Survey Reports

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Contact(s): Nellis Air Force Base CRM Manager

Sponsor(s): US Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Worth District

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