Manix which dried out when the lake catastrophically drained about 16,000bce.
You've mentioned that before, Cogs. What's the speculation on the draining? Earthquake? Water diversion project for Las Vegas??
The scientific explanation goes like this: the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) built up glaciers to the north in the Sierra Nevadas that affected the climate in the Lake Manix area substantially. Cold air from the glaciers met moist Pacific air overhead and resulted in 30-36 inches of rainfall annually during the late Pleistocene making the area lush. Today, the area would be lucky to get 6 inches per year.
At the end of the LGM increasing rains and melting ice from local mountains swelled the lake to the point of substantially overflowing its outlet and the result was severe downcutting of the channel, resulting in the creation of Afton Canyon. Geologists estimate that the 90 square mile lake drained in about a week.
The scientific explanation goes like this: the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) built up glaciers to the north in the Sierra Nevadas that affected the climate in the Lake Manix area substantially. Cold air from the glaciers met moist Pacific air overhead and resulted in 30-36 inches of rainfall annually during the late Pleistocene making the area lush. Today, the area would be lucky to get 6 inches per year.
At the end of the LGM increasing rains and melting ice from local mountains swelled the lake to the point of substantially overflowing its outlet and the result was severe downcutting of the channel, resulting in the creation of Afton Canyon. Geologists estimate that the 90 square mile lake drained in about a week.
Cool stuff, Cog
I love the history that can be deduced from careful study of an area's geology.
Louse specialists now seem at last to have solved the question of how people came by their superabundance of fellow travelers. And in doing so they have shed light on the two major turning points in the history of fashion: when people lost their body hair, and when they first made clothing.
A little off topic from the original lice discussion, but interesting.
The evidence suggests gorilla lice began infesting humans about 3.3 million years ago. In contrast, humans and gorillas diverged in evolutionary time about 7 million years ago. The fact the lice took up residence where they did may have coincided with human loss of most hair on the rest of their bodies and the lack of any other suitable niche to live, Reed said.
