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U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
Scientific Investigations Report 2007–5012

Bathymetry of Walker Lake, West-Central Nevada

Prepared in cooperation with the Bureau of Reclamation

By Thomas J. Lopes and J. LaRue Smith

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Table of Contents

Conversion Factors, Datums, and Acronyms

Abstract

Introduction

Methods

Bathymetry of Walker Lake

Summary

References Cited

Appendix A. Lake-Surface Altitude, Surface Area, and Storage Volume of Walker Lake, Nevada (Excel, 40 KB)

Appendix B. Locations and Heights of Mounds and Anomalies Detected in Walker Lake, Nevada (Excel, 24 KB)

Figures

Figure 1. Selected features of the Walker River basin, California and Nevada.

Figure 2. Dissolved-solids concentration and lake-surface altitude versus time for Walker Lake, Nevada.

Figure 3. Locations of survey transects, side-scan sonar survey, and the 4,120-foot contour which is the extent of surface-area and storage-volume calculations for Walker Lake, Nevada.

Figure 4. Example of survey transect (A) before removal of outliers and (B) after removal of outliers and averaging depth every 328 feet, Walker Lake, Nevada.

Figure 5. Errors in (A) surface-area and (B) storage-volume estimates versus lake-surface altitude of Walker Lake, Nevada.

Figure 6. Bathymetry along transects at select locations in Walker Lake, Nevada.

Figure 7. Example of anomalies detected by the single-beam echosounder.

Figure 8. Tufa towers along the shore of Mono Lake, California.

Figure 9. Lake bottom along the cliffs north of the town of Walker Lake, Nevada.

Figure 10. Locations and estimated heights of mounds, anomalies, and faults in and around Walker Lake, Nevada.

Figure 11. Lake-surface altitude versus surface area and storage volume for Walker Lake, Nevada.

This report is available online in Portable Document Format (PDF). If you do not have the Adobe Acrobat PDF Reader, it is available for free download from Adobe Systems Incorporated.

Download the report (PDF, 3.6 MB)

Download Plate 1 (PDF, 3.2 MB)

The digital elevation model of Walker Lake, West-Central Nevada can be download from the USGS Water Resource NSDI Node at http://water.usgs.gov/GIS/metadata/usgswrd/XML/sir2007-5012_bathymetry.xml

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Send questions or comments about this report to the authors, T.J. Lopes, (775) 887-7688, and J.L. Smith, (775) 887-7630.

For more information about USGS activities in Nevada, visit the USGS Nevada Science Center home page.