A Trip to Maars, Photos at Soda Lake

Exploring on the Rim

Standing on the rim of Soda Lake gives such a peaceful view and at first glance it appears as a man-made reservoir out in the desert.  

However if you look past the cottonwood trees, rabbit bush and salt grass there are glimpses of the violent past that helped form Soda Lake and Little Soda Lake. 

The Soda Lake basin was created by a collapsed volcano cone, which includes the larger Soda Lake, 1.2 miles (2 kilometers) in length and its sibling to the west the 660 feet (200 meters) Little Soda Lake. They were possibly formed when magma rose close to the surface, boiled the groundwater and caused an explosive eruption. 

Basalt bombs, dark rocks of different sizes, litter the rim and give evidence of the volcano’s violent eruption. Careful footing is needed because the sand is very soft, which might give me a much too close encounter with the water. 

Both lakes are the remnants of two young volcanoes or technically speaking: maars.  USGS defines Maars as "tuff cones"-- shallow, flat-floored craters that were formed above a breccia-filled volcanic pipe or diatreme.

 

A pure form of sodium bicarbonate or soda from which the lakes are named was discovered by early pioneers and was used in mining. 

 Over the short span of 1500 years that is estimated in the life cycle of Soda Lake, nature adapts to the high alkali content of the water attracting a wide variety of birds that thrive on the brine shrimp and underwater plants.

 I look forward to a return visit in the spring to this peaceful sanctuary when the weather warms.

For more information:

 http://backyardtraveler.blogspot.com/2006/10/story-of-soda-lake-is-deeper-than-you.html

http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/volcanoes/soda_lakes/

http://www.forgottennevada.org/sites/sodalake.html

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What an exciting and interesting photo-adventure this day has been.  I love it when I am drawn to an area and not knowing what to expect I get treated to new experiences. 

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Photography places me in the moment where I can share that moment in time. It becomes a life story as represented by my interaction with the scene. The happiness and beauty or the sorrow and strife; how I focus leaves a lasting impression that might touch the viewer on a spiritual level.

 "Reflecting Nature's Artistry" 

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