Mono Lake

Our main stop of the day was Mono Lake.  This body of water covers approximately 60 square miles.  One of the features we observed were the tufa formations.  These formations are made when fresh underwater springs bubble up through the alkaline  lake water and calcium carbonate is precipitated out around the spring.  The lake also contains two volcanically formed islands, Negit and Paoha.  Negit Island is a gull rookery to many millions of California gulls that nest here annually.  Together the islands provide a resting stop for several million migrating birds annually.  Both islands formed between the past 300 and 1700 years.  Black Point, the point of an underwater volcanic eruption, is also visible on the north shore of the lake. 

Tufa towers at South Beach, Mono Lake              Our class examining the salty, filmy waters of                                                                                                Mono Lake  

Negit Island; resting stop and gull rookery to              Paoha Island; resting stop for migratory birds                           millions of birds annually

                                             Black Point at the north end of Mono Lake                                                                                

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