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Alvord Lake (Oregon)

Coordinates: 42°22′47″N 118°36′20″W / 42.3796147°N 118.6054595°W / 42.3796147; -118.6054595
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Alvord Lake
Alvord Lake in Oregon, USA NASA NLT Landsat 7 image. Final image made using NASA World Wind.
Satellite image of Alvord Lake
Alvord Lake is located in Oregon
Alvord Lake is located in Oregon
Alvord Lake
Location of Alvord Lake in Oregon, USA.
Alvord Lake is located in Oregon
Alvord Lake is located in Oregon
Alvord Lake
Alvord Lake (the United States)
LocationHarney County, Oregon, U.S.
Coordinates42°22′47″N 118°36′20″W / 42.3796147°N 118.6054595°W / 42.3796147; -118.6054595
Typeseasonal, alkali
Primary inflowsMosquito Creek, Willow Creek, Wildhorse Creek, Whitehorse Creek, Trout Creek, and Van Horn Creek
Catchment area2,150 sq mi (5,600 km2)
Basin countriesUnited States

Alvord Lake is a seasonal[1] shallow alkali lake in Harney County of the U.S. state of Oregon. Its elevation is 4,026 feet (1,227 m).[2] It is located about 10 miles (16 km) southeast of Alvord Desert in the Alvord Basin and serves as terminus for all its streams. Its water level varies from dry to several feet deep.[citation needed] The nearest habitation is tiny Fields, 14.1 kilometres (8.8 mi) SSW.

At one time, Alvord Lake stretched 100 miles (160 km) along the east side of Steens Mountain.[1]

The Alvord Basin covers about 2,150 square miles (5,600 km2) bounded on the northwest by Steens Mountain, on the southwest by the Pueblo Mountains, on the southeast by the Trout Creek Mountains, and on the northeast by the Sheepshead Mountains.[3] Major tributaries are Mosquito Creek, Willow Creek, Wildhorse Creek, Whitehorse Creek, Trout Creek, and Van Horn Creek.[3]

The tributaries of Alvord Lake were home to the endemic Alvord cutthroat trout, which is now considered extinct through hybridization with non-native rainbow trout.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Basin and Range and Owyhee Uplands". Learn more about Oregon's geology. Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries. Archived from the original on 2008-07-25. Retrieved 2008-06-30.
  2. ^ "Alvord Lake". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2008-06-30.
  3. ^ a b B. Lamb (2003-09-24). "Alvord Lake Subbasin TMDLs" (PDF). Oregon Dept. of Environmental Quality. Archived from the original (pdf) on 2011-07-23. Retrieved 2008-06-30.