pluvial lakes formed during the last ice age in southwestern united states.
pluvial lakes formed during the last ice age in southwestern united states.
where did pluvial lakes form during the last ice age?
southwestern united states
several pluvial lakes formed in what is now the southwestern united states during the glaciation of the late pleistocene. one of these was lake bonneville in western utah, which covered roughly . when lake bonneville was at its maximum water level, it was higher than the great salt lake.









































fresh water mollusks have been found in mud deposits from searles lake in california and suggest that the water temperature was about 7 degrees fahrenheit (or 4 degrees celsius) cooler than current temperatures. radiocarbon dating of the youngest mud beds yield dates from 24,000 to 12,000 years ago.









































section::::formation.
pluvial lake
the climatic conditions that cause glaciation had an indirect effect on arid and semiarid regions far removed from the large ice sheets. the increased precipitation that fed the glaciers also increased the runoff of major rivers and intermittent streams, resulting in the growth and development of large pluvial lakes. most pluvial lakes developed in relatively arid regions where there typically was insufficient rain to establish a drainage system leading to the sea. instead, stream runoff flowed into closed basins and formed playa lakes. with increased rainfall, the playa lakes enlarged and overflowed. pluvial lakes were most extensive during glacial periods. during interglacial stages, with less rain, the pluvial lakes shrank to form small salt flats.
quaternary glaciation