Nelson Lake (San Bernardino County) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Nelson Lake |
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 Nelson Lake
Location in California
Nelson Lake
Location in the United States
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| Location | Mojave Desert San Bernardino County, California |
| Coordinates | 35°25′51″N 116°46′32″W / 35.4308°N 116.7755°W |
| Lake type | Endorheic basin |
| Primary outflows | Terminal |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Max. length | 3 km (1.9 mi) |
| Max. width | 2 km (1.2 mi) |
| Shore length1 | 30 km (19 mi) |
| Surface elevation | 937 m (3,074 ft) |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
Nelson Lake is a special kind of lake called a dry lake. This means it's usually empty of water, looking like a big, flat, dry area. It's located in the Mojave Desert in San Bernardino County, California. This dry lake is about 3 kilometers (nearly 2 miles) long and 2 kilometers (about 1.2 miles) wide at its widest points.
Nelson Lake is found on land owned by the United States government. It is inside the Fort Irwin Military Reservation, which is a large training area for the U.S. Army. It sits southwest of the Granite Mountains.
What is a Dry Lake?
A dry lake, also known as a playa (pronounced PLY-uh), is a basin or depression that once held water but is now mostly dry. Imagine a giant bathtub that rarely fills up! These lakes are common in deserts because there isn't much rain, and any water that does collect quickly evaporates.
When water evaporates from a dry lake, it leaves behind minerals like salt and gypsum. This often makes the surface of the dry lake very flat and hard, almost like a giant natural pavement. Sometimes, these flat surfaces are even used for land speed records because they are so smooth!
Endorheic Basins
Nelson Lake is part of an endorheic basin. This is a fancy way of saying that any water that flows into the lake stays there. It doesn't have an outlet, like a river, that carries water away to the ocean or another larger body of water. Instead, the water either sinks into the ground or evaporates. This is why dry lakes are often found in endorheic basins – the water has nowhere else to go!
Location and Environment
Nelson Lake is located in the Mojave Desert, which is a large, dry region in the southwestern United States. The desert is known for its hot summers, mild winters, and very little rainfall. Because of these conditions, the plants and animals that live here are specially adapted to survive with limited water.
The lake is about 67 kilometers (about 42 miles) northeast of Barstow, a city in the Mojave Desert. Its elevation is about 937 meters (3,074 feet) above sea level. Even though it's a dry lake, the surrounding desert environment is full of interesting life and unique landscapes.
