Golden Gate Photo - Lake Tahoe Gallery
Fine Art Photography from Lake Tahoe at the California/Nevada border.
Lake Tahoe lies along the northeastern portion of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. It has an elevation of approximately 6,220 feet (1,895 meters) above sea level and has a maximum depth of around 1,640 feet (500 meters). It has a rectangular shape, 12 miles (19 Km) wide by 22 miles (35 Km) long. The lake lies within Tahoe Valley, which formed as a result of faulting activity over the last 10 million years as the Sierra Nevada range was pushed upward. The faults on either side of the lake, some which are still active, dropped the valley floor and created a depression called a graben. It also took volcanic deposits from ancient volcanoes along the north side of the lake to block the valley, and allow the lake to rise. Subsequently, Pleistocene-age glaciers dammed the lake, resulting in water levels that have been as much as 800 feet higher than the present, as evidenced by remnants of lakeside terrace deposits.
|
Lake Tahoe from 30,000 Feet
Taken from a Southwest Air 737, this view looks north across the lake. The mountain in the lower right corner is Heavenly Valley Ski Resort. Emerald Bay is in the lower left corner of the lake.
Print No. A99-40-5
|
|
Red Aurora over Lake Tahoe
Just past midnight on October 30, 2003, the Earth was in a slight lull between two peaks of a geomagnetic storm. The storm resulted from a solar flare, a burst of radiation from the Sun a couple days earlier. Solar flares are not uncommon, though they usually aren't directed at Earth. Ones that are Earth-directed travel along the Earth's magnetic field lines and impact the atmosphere, resulting in auroral displays. It takes a particularly intense geomagnetic storm, coupled with a favorable positioning of the magnetic field, to produce auroras this far south. During the taking of this 23 minute exposure, only very faint gray vertical beams could be seen with the naked eye. But the time-exposure allowed the red color of the aurora to burn into the film (the yellow-green glow is from the lights of Reno, Nevada). The time-exposure also shows the movement of the stars around the North Star as a result of the Earth's rotation.
Print No. A03-40-3
|
|
Fall Colors at Emerald Bay
Taken during the day of October 30, 2003, on the last day before snow covered the ground here, this view is looking northeast, across Emerald Bay, with the main lake in the distance. At lakeside are a mix of green conifers and golden aspens. Emerald Bay was formed by a Pleistocene-age glacier descending from the Crystal Range to the west, and was designated a national natural landmark in 1969 for the glacier-carved granitic rocks surrounding the bay. The partial terminal moraine left behind by the glacier nearly closed off the bay from the lake.
Print No. A03-41-3
|
|
Fannette Island and Granitic Outcrop
Looking southeast, across some of the granitic outcrops on the slopes above Emerald Bay, Fannette Island is the only significant island in Lake Tahoe. On the island lies the remnants of a stone teahouse built in 1928 by philanthropist Lora Knight. On the adjacent shoreline, she also built Vikingsholm, a 38-room replica of an 800 A.D. Scandanavian castle.
Print No. A03-41-9
|
BACK TO CALIFORNIA GALLERY BACK TO WESTERN U.S. GALLERY BACK TO MAIN GALLERY
For all photograph orders, please record the Print Number and Title and refer to the Order Form.
Have comments or suggestions for this website? Send Me an E-Mail
Website design and all images in this site by Cleet Carlton ©1999 to the present. All photographs are copyright protected.