San Joaquin Valley EarthCache
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(not chosen)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
If you’re bored with a seemingly nondescript drive on I-5 through the San Joaquin Valley, this earthcache should help break the monotony while providing some insights on one of the largest natural features in California. Exit north-bound (only) I-5 just south of its intersection with CA-165 at the Dos Amigos Vista Point. Park at the coordinates. You can log the cache from the car.
The San Joaquin Valley forms the southern half of the Great Valley; the Sacramento Valley forms the northern half. The San Joaquin Valley extends from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in the north to the Tehachapi Mountains in the south. Unlike the Sacramento Valley, the river system of the San Joaquin Valley does not extend very far along the valley. Most of the valley south of Fresno instead drains into Tulare Lake east of the Kettleman Hills at Kettleman City. However, except in very wet years, the lake no longer exists due to diversion of its source rivers for agriculture. Prior to 1920, Tulare Lake had the largest surface area of any California lake. When its waters were diverted, the lake dried up and the lake bed was cultivated for agriculture. The valley's primary river is the San Joaquin, which drains north through about half of the valley into the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The Kings and Kern rivers are in the southern internal drainage basin of the valley. All of water from these rivers is diverted for agricultural uses; all are mostly dry in their lower reaches.
The Great Valley was originally part of an oceanic trench against the rising blocks that formed the Sierra Nevada mountains. You are standing on the eastern edge of the Coast Range. As this range began to rise, a vast lake was formed. Eventually, the marine outlets closed and the valley filled with erosional sediments and fresh water. Today the fresh water lakes are largely gone and the valley contains sediments thousands of feet thick. But it has been estimated that if all the world’s glaciers melted (global warming!) sea level would again rise to threaten flooding of the Great Valley.
Today the valley is a vast agricultural bread basket. It’s been estimated that 12% of this country’s agricultural production (dollar value) comes from California; the majority of that is from the San Joaquin Valley. Grapes (table, raisin and wine), cotton, citrus, almonds, pistachios and vegetables are raised in abundance here. Dairy, cattle and sheep ranching are also major businesses.
Logging the Cache
I would like to see a picture of you or your group. Please post a picture showing the pumping station and valley in the background. This is optional, not a requirement.
To log this cache you must E-MAIL me the answers to the following TWO questions. DO NOT POST YOUR ANSWERS. Based upon your observations from this point, what would be the result if the water in the canal below you stopped flowing? What San Joaquin Valley lake no longer exists because of water diversions? Bonus points if you can name another now dry lake on the other side of the Sierra Nevada whose water now flows to Los Angeles.
Additional Hints
(No hints available.)