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13-705: The Stillwater Range separates the Carson Sink (to the west) from Dixie Valley (to the east). To the north, a low pass separates it from the East Range . To the south, the Sand Springs Pass separates it from the Sand Springs Range . Nestled against the south end of the range is Sand Mountain, an enormous 600-foot (180 m) tall sand dune which draws off-road vehicle enthusiasts from across Nevada and California . A series of earthquakes measuring 6.6–7.1 on

26-649: Is a playa in the northeastern portion of the Carson Desert in present-day Nevada , United States of America, that was formerly the terminus of the Carson River . Today the sink is fed by drainage canals of the Truckee-Carson Irrigation District . The southeastern fringe of the sink, where the canals enter, is a wetland of the Central Basin and Range ecoregion . This is mostly included within

39-690: Is in the middle of a Bravo-20 live bombing area. It is a solitary pinnacle of rock through the playa and it is held sacred by the Northern Paiute . The Carson Sink was a deep portion of the Pleistocene water body Lake Lahontan , the lakebed of which is now the Lahontan Basin . The Carson Trail , used during the California Gold Rush across the Lahontan Basin, included a section through

52-634: Is known as Humboldt Lake . The sink and its surrounding area was a notorious and dreaded portion (called the Forty Mile Desert ) of overland travel to California during the westward migrations of the mid-1800s, which were largely undertaken along the California Trail . Humboldt Sink is located between the West Humboldt Range (to the southeast) and the Trinity Range (to the northwest), on

65-605: Is protected as part of the Humboldt Wildlife Management Area . Wetlands in and near the sink, such as the Humboldt Salt Marsh provide important nesting, foraging, and resting habitat to large numbers of migratory birds. The sink has a long history of human habitation. In addition to Lovelock Cave , an outcrop in the West Humboldt Range in which 2000-year-old duck decoys have been found, there

78-540: The Carson Sink was cut by the Nevada Department of Transportation in 1984 to prevent Interstate 80 and the town of Lovelock from flooding after heavy snowfall in the preceding three years. As of 2004, this channel has been dry since 1986. The sink, along with the Carson Sink, is remnants of the larger prehistoric Lake Lahontan that existed at the end of the last ice age , approximately 13,000 years ago. The sink

91-760: The Fallon National Wildlife Refuge and the Stillwater Wildlife Management Area. This area serves as an important stopover for migrating waterfowl. The Sehoo Formation is south of the Carson Sink. The Carson Sink and Lone Rock working areas are the northwest portion of both the Carson Sink and the US Naval Fallon Range Training Complex . The Lone Rock working area includes the Bravo-20 range, which has numerous targets for combat aircraft training. Lone Rock

104-571: The Forty Mile Desert to the first drinkable water on the Carson River . The Carson Sink station of the Pony Express was built in March 1860. In June 1952 two U.S. Air Force colonels flew a B-25 bomber from Hamilton Field near San Francisco to Colorado Springs , Colorado . While passing over Carson Sink, the two reportedly saw three unknown aircraft fly within 800 yards of their aircraft before speeding out of sight seconds later. Upon landing,

117-532: The Richter Scale , centered beneath or near the Stillwater Range, occurred between July and December 1954. As the area was then (and still is) sparsely populated, no fatalities and little property damage resulted. Extensive surface rupturing can be seen on the east slope of the range. Several small mines can be found in the cliffsides of the mountains, many of which may not be marked on maps. Water running off

130-520: The border between Pershing and Churchill counties, approximately 50 mi (80 km) northeast of Reno . It is fed from the northeast by the 330 miles (530 km) long Humboldt River , the second longest river in the Great Basin of North America (after the Bear River ). Interstate 80 passes along the northwest side of the sink . The sink has no natural outlet. A channel connecting it with

143-520: The mountains is sometimes used to irrigate alfalfa fields. A notable point is the Steam Tractor Trail that begins of the eastern side. At the top of the trail is a steam tractor that was left there when the road was originally made. The principal peaks of the Stillwater Range include Table Mountain (8,330 feet (2,540 m)), Mount Lincoln (8,450 feet (2,580 m)) and Job Peak (8,727 feet (2,660 m)). Carson Sink Carson Sink

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156-458: The town of Lovelock from flooding due to unusually heavy snowfall in the preceding three years. The sinks remained connected by water for three years, until 1987. Humboldt Sink The Humboldt Sink is an intermittent dry lake bed, approximately 11 mi (18 km) long, and 4 mi (6 km) across, in northwestern Nevada in the United States . The body of water in the sink

169-597: The two colonels reported the incident to the Air Defence Command headquarters, who informed them that there were no military or civilian aircraft in the area at the time. The incident was never resolved and is known today as the Carson Sink UFO incident. In 1984, the natural dike between the Carson Sink and the Humboldt Sink was breached by the Nevada Department of Transportation to prevent Interstate 80 and

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