Owens River Gorge facts for kids
The Owens River Gorge is a deep, narrow canyon in eastern California, United States. It's about 10 miles (16 km) long. You can find it at the eastern edge of the Sierra Nevada mountains, in Mono County. This is where the Owens River flows out of Long Valley and into the Owens Valley. Many people love to visit the gorge for rock climbing.
How the Gorge Was Formed
The Owens River Gorge was created by the Owens River itself! Over a very long time, the river carved its way through a special kind of rock called the Bishop Tuff. This rock is actually a layer of ash that was "welded" together. It formed after a huge volcano, called the Long Valley Caldera, erupted a very long time ago.
As the river cut through the ground, it showed off these layers of tuff. It even revealed some rare rock shapes called columnar rhyolite. These look like tall, many-sided pillars of rock.
Bringing Water Back to the River
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power built a dam called the Long Valley Dam in 1941. This dam was part of a project to create hydropower, which is electricity made from moving water. From 1953 to 1991, a 10-mile (16 km) part of the gorge had almost no water in it.
Starting in 1991, water began to be released back into this part of the river. The goal was to bring back the natural areas along the riverbanks. This also helped to bring back the brown trout fish for people to enjoy fishing. These efforts continue while still using some water for hydropower.
