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Mono Lake

Pictures by QT Luong

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Mono Lake, the oldest lake in North America used to lose its water only by evaporation, becoming in the process alkaline and hyper-saline, like the Dead Sea in Israel. In order to provide water for growing Los Angeles, water was diverted from the Owens River and then from the tributaries that fed Mono Lake. This caused its level to fall, exposing once submerged tufa towers (a rough, thick, rock-like calcium carbonate deposit that precipitates from calcium-bearing spring water in an alkaline lake rich in carbonates) that are the most spectacular feature of the Lake.

The high population of single-celled algae present in the warm shallow waters creates a rich food chain. The absence of competition from fish (due to the high salinity of the water) make it a vital resting and eating stop for nearly 2,000,000 migratory water-birds. This critical nesting habitat for several bird species make it one of the most productive ecosystems in North America, but this has been threatened by the decline in water level. Owens Lake, which sustained a similar ecosystem, completely dried up because of water diversions. Mono Lake was spared the same fate on September 28, 1994, when the California State Water Resources Control Board issued an order to protect Mono Lake and its tributary streams. Since that time the lake level has steadily risen.

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Tufas and Sierra Nevada, winter sunrise. Mono Lake, California, USA ( color) Tufa rock on south shore at sunrise. Mono Lake, California, USA ( color) Tufas, South Tufa area, dawn. Mono Lake, California, USA ( color) Tufa towers and rising sun. Mono Lake, California, USA ( color) Isolated Tufa towers. Mono Lake, California, USA ( color) Tufa formations, South Tufa area, early morning. Mono Lake, California, USA ( color) Grasses and Tufa towers, morning. Mono Lake, California, USA ( color) Tufas and Sierra, winter sunrise. Mono Lake, California, USA ( color) Migratory birds. Mono Lake, California, USA ( color) Clouds and Tufa towers, morning. Mono Lake, California, USA ( color) Grasses and spring with small tufa being formed underwater. Mono Lake, California, USA ( color) Colorful shores, mid-day. Mono Lake, California, USA ( color) Lake seen from Mono crater. Mono Lake, California, USA ( color) Rainbow and storm over Mono Basin, evening. Mono Lake, California, USA ( color) Tufa towers at dusk, South Tufa area. Mono Lake, California, USA ( color) Tufa towers and moon, dusk. Mono Lake, California, USA ( color) Tufa towers at sunrise. Mono Lake, California, USA ( color) Tufas at sunrise. Mono Lake, California, USA ( color) Tufa formations at dusk, South Tufa area. Mono Lake, California, USA ( color) Grasses, tufa, and mountains, early morning. Mono Lake, California, USA ( color) Grasses and Tufa towers, morning. Mono Lake, California, USA ( color) Clouds and Tufa towers, morning. Mono Lake, California, USA ( color) Colorful shore and tufa, mid-day. Mono Lake, California, USA ( color) Mono crater. Mono Lake, California, USA ( color) Sage and lake seen from the visitor center. Mono Lake, California, USA ( color) Tufa towers at dusk. Mono Lake, California, USA ( color) Lake and tufa at sunset. Mono Lake, California, USA ( color) Tufa towers and moon, dusk. Mono Lake, California, USA ( color) Tufa towers and moonrise, dusk. Mono Lake, California, USA ( color) Tufa spires and Mono Lake at dusk. Mono Lake, California, USA ( color) Tufa towers, dusk. Mono Lake, California, USA ( color)

All text and photos © QT Luong. See conditions for use of images. All the 31 color pictures of Mono Lake are on this page

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Carson Pass | Bodie | Mono Lake | Tioga Pass and Lundy Canyon
Devils Postpile NM | Owens Valley | Trona Pinnacles | White Mountains
El Portal Hills | Sierra Nevada | Lake Tahoe | Yosemite NP | Kings Canyon NP
Sequoia NP | Death Valley NP
Up to photos of Eastern California Eastern California

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