Mono Lake facts for kids
Mono Lake is a very special and ancient lake located on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada mountains in California. It's known as an "endorheic" lake, which means water flows into it from streams, but no rivers flow out to the sea. Think of it like a giant bathtub with no drain! This makes the lake very salty and alkaline (like baking soda).
Streams like Rush Creek, Lee Vining Creek, and Mill Creek feed the lake. Lee Vining Creek starts high up near Tioga Pass, close to Yosemite National Park. Mono Lake is huge, covering about 69 square miles (180 square kilometers). Scientists believe it formed around 760,000 years ago, making it one of North America's oldest lakes.
In the 20th century, the city of Los Angeles started taking water from the streams that feed Mono Lake. This caused the lake's water level to drop significantly, which uncovered amazing and unique rock formations called tufa towers.
Contents
Why is Mono Lake Special?
Mono Lake is unique because of its very salty and alkaline water. This environment is too harsh for most fish to live in. However, it's a perfect home for tiny creatures that thrive in these conditions.
Amazing Animals of Mono Lake
Even though it's super salty, Mono Lake is full of life!
- Alkali Flies: Millions of tiny alkali flies live around the lake. They lay their eggs in the water and can even walk underwater inside air bubbles to eat algae.
- Brine Shrimp: The lake is also home to billions of tiny brine shrimp, which are like miniature sea monkeys. They are the main food source for many birds.
A Bird Paradise
Mono Lake is a very important stop for millions of migratory birds. These birds travel long distances and rely on the lake's brine shrimp and alkali flies for food.
- Many different types of birds, like gulls, phalaropes, and grebes, visit Mono Lake every year.
- They rest and refuel here before continuing their long journeys.
The Tufa Towers
When the lake's water level dropped, it revealed incredible rock formations called tufa towers.
- Tufa forms when freshwater springs bubble up through the alkaline lake water.
- Minerals in the water react and slowly build up these amazing, often spiky, towers over thousands of years.
- The "South Tufa" area is a popular spot to see these unique formations.
The Water Story
For many years, water was diverted from the streams feeding Mono Lake to supply water to Los Angeles.
- This caused the lake's water level to drop dramatically, threatening its ecosystem and exposing the tufa towers.
- People became concerned about the lake's future and worked to protect it.
- Thanks to conservation efforts and legal actions, more water is now allowed to flow into Mono Lake, helping its water level recover.
Images for kids
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A satellite image of Mono Lake.
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A scientific graph related to Mono Lake's water.
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Another scientific graph showing lake changes.
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The amazing tufa formations at Mono Lake's "South Tufa" area.
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Large numbers of alkali flies at Mono Lake.
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Artemia monica, the Mono Lake brine shrimp.
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A female Audubon's warbler perched on a tufa tower.
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Captain John, a leader of the Yosemite-Mono Lake Paiutes.
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Exposed tufa towers in Mono Lake in 1981, when the water level was very low.
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Mono Lake viewed from the summit of Mount Dana.
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An aerial view of Mono Lake in May 2019, showing good snowpack in the mountains.
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"South Tufa, Mono Lake", 2013.
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See also
In Spanish: Lago Mono para niños
