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Geology of Lake Tahoe

With the greatest depth of about 1645 ft., Lake Tahoe comes second after Crater Lake

(1949 ft.) in Oregon as the deepest lake in the USA (WorldAtlas, 2019). Lake Tahoe also comes

tenth overall in the world as one of the deepest lakes. In terms of square coverage, the lake

covers approximately 22 miles in length X 12 miles in width. Its shoreline stretches for about 72

miles (“Lake Tahoe Basin Mgt Unit - Learning Center,” 2019). Lake Tahoe is located at the

boundary line separating California state and Nevada state in the Sierra Nevada ranges. The

following picture shows the location of the lake.

(Hopson, “Lake Tahoe Location Map,” 2012)

John Fremont was the first person to make a sight of lake Tahoe way back in the year

1844. He was at Carson Pass while trying to cross the Sierra Nevada. But it was not until 1852
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that regular visits to the lake commenced. J.C Johnson made a way that linked Carson City in

Nevada to Placerville in California. However, the lake was initially given the name of a business

tycoon, John Bigler, in California. The lake carried the name “Lake Bigler,” which was later

changed by people after John Bigler angered his people after being elected into the governorship

seat of California. The name “Tahoe” is believed to have been borrowed from the native Indian

tribes (“Travels in Geology: Lake Tahoe Jewel of the Sierra Nevada | EARTH Magazine”). This

paper will, however, focus on the geological aspects of the lake.

The processes that led to the formation of lake Tahoe confuses most people. Most people

think that the lake was formed mainly as a result of volcanic activity because it sits on the

mountain range. But geologists have, however, done studies about the formation process and

ascertained that the formation was through faulting. Faulting is the cracking or fracture of the

earth’s crust, which leads to one side of it sinking, and the other remains in place or gets uplifted.

The sinking and uplifting process lead to the formation of valleys and slopes. According to

geologists, faulting around the Sierra Nevada region occurred about 140 to 160 million years

ago. Due to the compressional and shearing forces between the continental plates, there was an

uplift of the earth’s crust that resulted in the formation of the ranges of Sierra Nevada (Larson

and North Lake Tahoe Historical Society, 2008). Below is a pictorial representation of the faults.

The following faulting activities of sinking and uplifting along the Nevada ranges got

triggered along the previous fault lines about 5-25 years ago. The west of this area got uplifted

while the eastern side sank creating a big valley that is presently called Carson Valley. It,

therefore, means that the far east side developed steep slopes, i.e. the Carson range. The creation

of the valley also formed sharp steep slopes on the eastern side. However, the valley got filled

with a lot of sediments over the years due to weathering activities. The valley and slopes are not
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presently visible like it was initially (“Lake Tahoe Basin Mgt Unit - Learning Center,” 2019).

The original uplift that created the valley is estimated to have been roughly 19000ft. The present-

day mountains within the area rise to a height of about 9000-11000ft above the valley level.

Between 1-3 million years ago, the entire basin has witnessed a drop between the Carson Range

on the eastern side and the Sierra ridge on the western front (Scialfa, 2016). But the question is:

what led to the faulting?

Key:
A – Eastern fault
B – Incline fault
C – Kings Beach fault
D – McKinney fault
E – State Line fault
F – Western Boundary fault

(University of Nevada,

2013)

The earth’s crust is at high temperatures, with magma being at the core. An increase in

temperature and subsequent increases in pressure caused the faulting that led to the sinking and

uplifting. As indicated earlier, faulting causes large cracks to be formed on the earth’s crust. As

this process is happening, magma with high temperatures and pressure forces its way out to the

earth’s surface through the fault lines formed. For our case here, this activity happened on the
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northern side of the lake. Magma eruption on the north side came from Mt. Pluto which led to

the formation of lake Tahoe (Scialfa, 2016). The channels formed, directed water and ice to the

lake, which got filled up to an approximate level of 600ft. This depth is however higher than

what can be measured presently. As the lake got filled up, the sides of the basin got eroded, and

eventually, water found its way out of the lake towards the lava dam to the east. The lower

Truckee river was formed as an outlet.

Subsequent geological activities occurred within the basin. Glaciation activities

characterize the ice age period and the Tahoe basin experienced it. Glaciation within the Tahoe

basin eroded the slopes of the valley, thus forming valleys with a U-shape, for instance, the

Emerald Bay. Recent studies suggest that the Tahoe basin remains to be active geologically. The

formation of McKinney bay is attributed to this geological activeness of the Tahoe basin,

whereby a large area of land collapsed. Geologists believe that the land collapse within lake

Tahoe might have triggered strong massive tides that could have waved to an approximate height

of about 90ft and that the tides might have hit the shores of the lake in a back-forth scenario for

not less than half a day. The lake has continuously got filled up with sediments from the adjacent

slopes and ranges with geologists estimating that 1ft high of deposits fills up the lake within

3200 years (Scialfa, 2016). Therefore, they predict that the lake might get filled up in about 3

million years if the rate of sedimentation is maintained as it is currently.

As put in earlier, lake Tahoe sits on the Tahoe basin, which is still geologically active.

The activities of faulting and uplifting might again occur. Folding processes might also be

triggered alongside volcanic eruptions especially under the lake. The area is still experiencing

extensional and compressional forces that act on the eastern mountain ranges and the basin itself.

There are five faults to the east side of the Tahoe basin and with three out of the five being
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geologically active and can lead to massive earthquakes of 7.0 magnitudes. Such massive

earthquakes occurring on either side of the lake can trigger a tsunami within the lake.

Earthquakes within the basin can also lead to landslides on the slopes of the valleys which

ultimately affects the lake.

There are different types of rocks within the area that lake Tahoe sits. The first category

of rocks found here is the igneous rocks. There are the intrusive volcanic rocks that are generally

granodiorite. There are also extrusive igneous rocks specifically the andesitic ones. These

igneous rocks formed due to the collisions between the continental plates. The volcanic eruption

that flowed through the faults and from Mt. Pluto formed the igneous rocks when it cooled. The

granite igneous rocks have several elements like quartz, feldspar, biotite, etc. Apart from the

igneous rocks, there are metamorphic rocks. Most of the metamorphic rocks are found at the

summit of the crusts. They formed with increased heat, pressure and other geological activities.

Sedimentary rocks are also present and were formed as a result of continuous glaciation and

sedimentation activities.
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(Kortemeier et al., “Sierra Nevada Rocks”)

Lake Tahoe’s significance ranges from sociocultural to economic importance. The native

inhabitants around the lake (Washoe tribe) uses the lake as a religious feature. They consider the

blue waters to be sacred or holy to them. The community also relies on the dense flora and fauna

within the lake to get food. The lake is also a tourist destination as it provides an epic scenery for

tourists. Besides being a sociocultural and tourist attraction treasure, Lake Tahoe is also a

recreational treasure. The lake is surrounded by recreational activities with many restaurants,

hotels, ski centers, casinos, golfing, and other leisure activities.

As a result of the great history, significances, and benefits accrued from the lake, the

government, in collaboration with international relevant bodies, decided to protect lake Tahoe

(US EPA,REG 09, 2019). The lake is recognized and protected as one of the natural resources by

the US government authorities and also by the international organizations. The lake is protected

explicitly under the clean water Act and is recognized as an “Outstanding National Resource

Water” (US EPA,REG 09, 2019).

(Hopson, “Beautiful Granitic Boulders Line the Lake,” 2012)

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Works Cited

Hopson, R. Forrest. “Beautiful Granitic Boulders Line the

Lake,” Https://Www.Earthmagazine.Org/Article/Travels-Geology-Lake-Tahoe-Jewel-

Sierra-Nevada, 6 Aug. 2012.

---. “Lake Tahoe Location Map,” Https://Www.Earthmagazine.Org/Article/Travels-Geology-

Lake-Tahoe-Jewel-Sierra-Nevada, 6 Aug. 2012.

Kortemeier, Winifred, et al. “Pleistocene Volcanism and Shifting Shorelines at Lake Tahoe,

California.” Geosphere, vol. 14, no. 2, 9 Feb. 2018, pp. 812–834, 10.1130/ges01551.1.

Accessed 24 July 2019.

---. “Sierra Nevada Rocks,” Https://Pubs.Geoscienceworld.Org/Gsa/Geosphere/Article-

Standard/527488/Pleistocene-Volcanism-and-Shifting-Shorelines-At, 9 Feb. 2018.

“Lake Tahoe Basin Mgt Unit - Learning Center.” Usda.Gov, 2019,

www.fs.usda.gov/detail/ltbmu/learning/?cid=stelprdb5109570.

Larson, Sara, and North Lake Tahoe Historical Society. Lake Tahoe. Charleston, Sc, Arcadia

Pub, 2008.

Scialfa, Michael. Lake Tahoe. Adventure Pubns, 2016.

“Tahoe Research » Geology.” Unr.Edu, 2013, tahoe.blogs.unr.edu/preserving-tahoe/geology/.

Accessed 4 Dec. 2019.

“Travels in Geology: Lake Tahoe Jewel of the Sierra Nevada | EARTH

Magazine.” Earthmagazine.Org, 2010, www.earthmagazine.org/article/travels-geology-

lake-tahoe-jewel-sierra-nevada. Accessed 4 Dec. 2019.

University of Nevada. “Map of Inferred Faults in the Lake Tahoe

Area,” Http://Tahoe.Blogs.Unr.Edu/Files/2013/06/Faults.Jpg, 2013.
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US EPA,REG 09. “About Lake Tahoe | US EPA.” US EPA, 16 Aug. 2016, www.epa.gov/lake-

tahoe/about-lake-tahoe. Accessed 4 Dec. 2019.

WorldAtlas. “The Deepest Lakes in the US.” WorldAtlas, 3 Oct. 2018,

www.worldatlas.com/articles/which-is-the-deepest-lake-in-the-united-states.html.

Accessed 4 Dec. 2019.