View allAll Photos Tagged Mono...,
My Website | Facebook | Blog | @Twitter | Model Mayhem | Dripbook
Model: Bobby Clay
Styling: Paula Gayle
Make-Up/Hair: Gina King
© Jonathan Posner 2014
Mono Lake is a large, shallow saline soda lake in Mono County, California, formed at least 760,000 years ago as a terminal lake in an endorheic basin. The lack of an outlet causes high levels of salts to accumulate in the lake. These salts also make the lake water alkaline.
This desert lake has an unusually productive ecosystem based on brine shrimp that thrive in its waters, and provides critical habitat for two million annual migratory birds that feed on the shrimp and alkali flies. Historically, the native Kutzadika'a people derived nutrition from the Ephydra hians pupae, which live in the shallow waters around the edge of the lake.
When the city of Los Angeles diverted water from the freshwater streams flowing into the lake, it lowered the lake level, which imperiled the migratory birds.
Mono Lake occupies part of the Mono Basin, an endorheic basin that has no outlet to the ocean. Dissolved salts in the runoff thus remain in the lake and raise the water's pH levels and salt concentration. The tributaries of Mono Lake include Lee Vining Creek, Rush Creek and Mill Creek which flows through Lundy Canyon.
The basin was formed by geological forces over the last five million years: basin and range crustal stretching and associated volcanism and faulting at the base of the Sierra Nevada. Five million years ago, the Sierra Nevada was an eroded set of rolling hills and Mono Basin and Owens Valley did not yet exist.
From 4.5 to 2.6 million years ago, large volumes of basalt were extruded around what is now Cowtrack Mountain (east and south of Mono Basin); eventually covering 300 square miles (780 km2) and reaching a maximum thickness of 600 feet (180 m). Later volcanism in the area occurred 3.8 million to 250,000 years ago. This activity was northwest of Mono Basin and included the formation of Aurora Crater, Beauty Peak, Cedar Hill (later an island in the highest stands of Mono Lake), and Mount Hicks.
Mono Lake is believed to have formed at least 760,000 years ago, dating back to the Long Valley eruption. Sediments located below the ash layer hint that Mono Lake could be a remnant of a larger and older lake that once covered a large part of Nevada and Utah, which would put it among the oldest lakes in North America. At its height during the most recent ice age, the lake would have been about 900 feet (270 m) deep. Prominent old shore lines, called strandlines by geologists, can be seen west of the Lake.
Currently, Mono Lake is in a geologically active area at the north end of the Mono–Inyo Craters volcanic chain and is close to Long Valley Caldera. Volcanic activity continues in the Mono Lake vicinity: the most recent eruption occurred 350 years ago, resulting in the formation of Paoha Island. Panum Crater (on the south shore of the lake) is an example of a combined rhyolite dome and cinder cone.
Tufa towers
Many columns of limestone rise above the surface of Mono Lake. These limestone towers consist primarily of calcium carbonate minerals such as calcite (CaCO3). This type of limestone rock is referred to as tufa, which is a term used for limestone that forms in low to moderate temperatures.
I tried TS24mm, 100mm and 50mm not quite satisfied with any ; might try a zoom tomorrow!
_MG_5570_50mm
My first time out to Mono Lake back in 2005. Froze my butt off for this picture. The white stuff in the foreground was some strange foamy stuff although there was plenty of snow on the ground too.
Filed as: 20051126_172438_5511
Mono Lake (/ˈmoʊnoʊ/ MOH-noh) is a large, shallow saline soda lake in Mono County, California, formed at least 760,000 years ago as a terminal lake in an endorheic basin. The lack of an outlet causes high levels of salts to accumulate in the lake. These salts also make the lake water alkaline.
This desert lake has an unusually productive ecosystem based on brine shrimp that thrive in its waters, and provides critical habitat for two million annual migratory birds that feed on the shrimp and alkali flies. Historically, the native Kutzadika'a people derived nutrition from the Ephydra hians pupae, which live in the shallow waters around the edge of the lake.
When the city of Los Angeles diverted water from the freshwater streams flowing into the lake, it lowered the lake level, which imperiled the migratory birds.
Over the weekend I drove out to Mono Lake. Interesting rock formations and water go so well with sunrises...
The raven sets off on its journey once again, filled with energy and melancholy. We are excited to present the dark rock band
♪✰♪ MONO INC. ♪✰♪
this Saturday on our ✰MORGENSTERN✰ stage.
*************************************
âž© Saturday, November 30 - 11:30 AM SLT
âž© TP to La Boom
Rain and storm clouds over Sierras and sunshine east of Mono Lake produced a strong, long lasting rainbow which complemented the tufa formations in the lake.
Mono Cliffs Provincial Park. It's not a big park but it tells of important geology along the Bruce Trail in Ontario.
I had a very pleasant hike here in cool fall weather. No bugs, no people, just me and my thoughts (and my camera).
Mono Lake, just south of Mammoth in Northern California, has a very high salt content, which has resulted in some very interesting mineral formations, known as "tufa".
Silhouette of the Tufa at sunrise on this Mono Lake morning.
Call them weird, call them bizarre, call them what you will, but the unusual rock formations that grace Mono Lake's shores are known to geologists as tufa (too'-fah). Tufa forms in a variety of ways at Mono Lake, but the most visible and remarkable formations are the towers that grace Mono's shoreline.
Tufa is a variety of limestone, formed by the precipitation of carbonate minerals from ambient temperature water bodies. Geothermally heated hot-springs sometimes produce similar (but less porous) carbonate deposits known as travertine.
3 exposure deep compression and HDR blend in Photomatix
During our trip to the Eastern Sierras we stopped by Mono Lake for two sunrises and a sunset. This photo is from our first morning there. It wasn't a spectacular sunrise but there was a short lived period where the clouds turned a smooth magenta and reflected on the lake. The Limestone Tufa towers pick up the surrounding colors before the sun fully rises.
I can literally count on one hand how many photographs of mine have went down the B&W route . . . .
. . . here is one from a trip to the snow bound Balmedie Beach this morning. Taken during a brief flurry of snow. This stream runs along the front of the massive dunes for half a mile then turns out to the sea > > (www.flickr.com/photos/discodavor/6871846541)