124 THE SALTON SEA. 



was present, since this place lies partly on the detritus of the drainage of the Whitewater 

 River coming in from the northwestward. The crop of seeds from plants of Suoeda and 

 Atriplex, living and dead, which had maintained an upright position, were sown in irregular 

 patches by the wind (see Plate 28 b). 



Oligomeris glancescens, Chcnopodium murale, and a few young plants of some unrecog- 

 nizable species were found on the upper part of the area in the region probably laid bare 

 during the season of February to May. Heliotropium was scattered over the entire area, 

 the older ones, near the high-water hne, being in bloom. It was notable that Pluchea 

 sericea and Distichlis, both of which were abundant above the high-water line, had not 

 made their way down the gentle slope, nor had the receding waters deposited any seeds of 

 these plants in such manner as to make possible their successful germination. The results 

 at this place in the following years were vitiated somewhat by operations in locating 

 homesteads and reclamation work, but observations were made from time to time, as 

 noted below. 



The extension of the water up the bed of a wide dry wash on the western side of the 

 lake in 1907 offered special conditions and it was hoped that some observations of especial 

 value might be made here. The underflow, however, from the extensive and steep moun- 

 tain slopes only a few miles away was heavy and the recession of the water down the slope 

 of the bed was accompanied by the breaking out of numerous seeps and springs above the 

 water-level, which gave confused effects not capable of analysis. It is to be noted, however, 

 that Typha found lodgment here, and a single Rumex grew from seed, while Heliotropium 

 had become established and was in bloom in February 1908. (Plate 17.) 



The banks of the wash rose perpendicularly to a height of 4 to 7 feet and the ground 

 near-by bore a heavy formation of Suoeda, Atriplex, Spirostachys, and Pluchea sericea. 

 The damming of the underflow had also resulted in an increase of the available soil-moisture 

 on either side of the wash, with the result that the species named flourished and showed 

 a marked acceleration in development. These might easily have been mistaken for humid- 

 ity effects (see pp. 139, 140). 



Southward from the wash an arched slope of detrital material ran steeply down below 

 the high- water level and the waves were cutting the crest of the arch at the high level in 1907. 

 A year later this cutting was seen to have resulted in a bank as steep as the nature of the 

 material would allow and about 12 feet at its maximum height. Masses of dirt had already 

 begun to slide down from the crumbling upper margin, carrying whole plants and seeds 

 from the crest in February 1908. Among these were Coldenia, Pluchea sericea, and Atri- 

 plex canescens. All of the mature plants perished, as was found on the next visit, but in 

 February 1908 the Atriplex had brought down seeds which had germinated, forming a row 

 of plantlets 6 to 8 inches in height (see Plate 18). The recession of the water had 

 resulted in laying bare a terrace about 60 feet in width. A number of small "tide-pools" 

 had been formed near the base of the slope or cut bank and on the margin of one of these 

 was an active rhizome of Phragmites, which had been floated to the place. A second one 

 was seen, but in an inactive condition. This and the plantlets of Atriplex mentioned above 

 constituted the only invaders of the strand at this place. 



The steep slope of the original surface here offered the best opportunities for the 

 analysis of the effects of rapid and slow recession of the water. The low rate of recession 

 in December, January, and February kept the water at nearly the same level, so that the 

 action of the waves resulted in a thorough sorting of the material, and this was heightened 

 by the winter storms. In consequence the midwinter level of the lake was marked by a 

 small beach ridge or by a cut bank which might have a vertical height of over a foot, as 

 illustrated in Plate 25 b. The interval between this and the ridge or cut bank of the fol- 

 lowing winter was taken as the emersed zone of the intervening year. The bases of these 

 ridges or banks offered favorable conditions for the deposition of floating seeds, and the 



