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:This article is about Pyramid Lake in Nevada. For others, see Pyramid Lake (disambiguation)
Pyramid Lake is an endorheic saline lake, approximately 188 mi˛ (487 km˛) in area, in the Great Basin in northwestern Nevada in the United States. It is located in southern Washoe County 40 mi (64 km) northeast of Reno, along the east side of the Virginia Mountains .
It is fed by the Truckee River (the outlet of Lake Tahoe), which enters the lake from its southern end. It has no outlet, with water leaving only by evaporation or sub-surface seepage. The lake has about 10% of the area of the Great Salt Lake, but it has about 25% more volume. The salinity is approximately 1/6th of the ocean.
The lake is the largest remnant of ancient Lake Lahontan that covered much of northwestern Nevada at the end of the last ice age. In the 19th century the vicinity of the lake was inhabited by the Paiute. The lake is now completely within the Pyramid Lake Indian Reservation . It was first mapped in 1844Events January 15 University of Notre Dame receives its charter from Indiana. February 27 The Dominican Republic gains independence from Haiti. February 28 A gun on the USS Princeton explodes while the boat is on a Potomac River cruise, killing two United by John C. Fremont, the U.S. discoverer of the lake.
Major fish species include the cui-uiThe Cui-ui Chasmistes Cujus is a large sucker fish which is endemic to Pyramid Lake in northwestern Nevada. It feeds primarily on zooplankton and perhaps on nannoplankton (such as algae and diatoms). Maximum size of male Cui-ui is approximately 21 inches lakesucker which is endemic to Pyramid Lake, and Lahontan cutthroat trout. The former is endangered, and the latter is threatened. Both species were of critical importance to the Paiute people in pre-contact times. As they are both obligate freshwater spawners, they rely on sufficient inflow to allow them to run up the Trukee River to spawn otherwise their eggs will not hatch. Diversion of the Truckee for irrigationSahara Irrigation (in agriculture) is the replacement or supplementation of rainfall with water from another source in order to grow crops. In contrast, agriculture that relies only on direct rainfall is sometimes referred to as dryland farming. How it wo since the early 20th century19th century 20th century 21st century more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901- 2000 in the sense of the Gre has reduced inflow such that it is rarely sufficient for spawning in modern times. Fish populations are sustained by several tribally-run fish hatcheries.
The name of the lake comes from the impressive tufaTufa towers at Mono Lake, California Tufa is the name for an unusual geological formation. Tufa is a rough, thick, rock-like calcium carbonate deposit that forms by precipitation from bodies of water with a high dissolved calcium content. Tufa deposition formations in the vicinity of the lake. The largest such formation, Anaho Island, is home to a large colony of American White PelicanThe American White Pelican Pelecanus erythrorhynchos is a very large (50" 70") white bird with black wing tips and an enormous orange bill. They have a wing span of approximately 3 m. They are graceful in flight, moving their wings in slow powerful strokes and is highly restricted for ecological reasons. Access to the Needles, another spectacular tufa formation at the northern end of the lake has also been restricted due to recent vandalism by Burning ManBurning Man is a week-long festival with international draw, held annually on the week prior to and including Labor Day weekend in the United States. Its current location is on the playa of the Black Rock Desert in Nevada, 120 miles north of Reno. The tem attendees.
