Owens River Gorge

This steep-sided gorge, which reaches a depth of 275 meters (900 feet), was cut by the Owens River through the Pleistocene volcanics, primarily basalts, of volcanic tableland south and east of Long Valley. In places, the river water has exposed the underlying Mesozoic granitics. This was the outlet for the ancestral Long Valley Lake which, during the glacial periods of the Pleistocene, was a part of the series of lakes in the Basin Range drainage (see Long Valley). Traces of the lake terrace are found in the area.

Vegetation of the gorge is primarily a sagebrush scrub, with Artemisia tridentata the dominant element. There is also a pinyon-juniper woodland with Pinus monophylla and Juniperus californica. Along the canyon floor there is a sparse riparian association, with willow, Salix sp., conspicuous. The limber pine, Pinus flexilis, occurs at about 2,010 - 2,075 meters (6,600 - 6,800 feet) in what is one of the lowest elevation stations for this normally high-montane species. The uncommon Eriogonum ampullaceum is found here.

A variety of animals occurs in the area, including the Inyo shrew, Sorex tenellus, bobcats, Lynx rufus, and ringtails, Bassariscus astutus. Most of the river has been diverted and there is only a smallish flow, maintained primarily by springs and seeps; enough, however, to support a population of trout, Salmo sp.

Integrity: There is a trail in the gorge, and a dam and power plant delimit the area.

Use: Research, educational, observational, present.

January 1980