TERRESTRIAL DEPOSITS OF OWENS VALLEY 709 



processes, this being due partly at least to the fact that the Inyo 

 Mountains receive little precipitation, and the moisture necessary 

 for chemical processes is lacking. Here also canyons have been cut 

 by streams, and material has been transported to the valley and 

 deposited, but unlike those of the Sierras these streams are inter- 

 mittent, and carry material only after the infrequent rains. The 

 Inyo Mountains have not been glaciated. 



The deposits considered in this paper occur along the east foot 

 of the Sierra Mountains on the west side of the valley, and discon- 

 tinuously along the west front of the Inyo Mountains, which border 

 the valley on the east. The phenomena on the opposite sides of 

 the valley are sufficiently unlike to warrant description separately. 



DEPOSITS AT THE BASE OF THE SIERRA MOUNTAINS 

 LOCATION AND EXTENT 



Within the area of the Mt. Whitney Quadrangle, terrestrial 

 deposits at the east base of the Sierra Nevada Mountains cover a 

 belt 1-7 miles wide. In the Olancha Quadrangle to the south, 

 -corresponding deposits extend for many miles in a narrow and 

 more or less disconnected belt. 



At the north, the plain of the terrestrial deposits is overlain by 

 recent lavas and volcanic cones. Northwest of Owens Lake the 

 alluvial deposits lie against the west edge of the Alabama Hills, 

 and extend around the north and south ends. Two narrow con- 

 tinuations of the deposit extend through gaps in these hills, and 

 deploy slightly on the east side. Elsewhere the plain joins the 

 flat bottom of Owens Valley along a more or less distinct line. On 

 the west side the plain is limited sharply by the foot of the 

 mountains. 



In the aggregate, the deposits cover about 175 square miles in 

 the Mt. Whitney and Olancha quadrangles. 



TOPOGRAPHY 



FANS AND INTER-FAN AREAS 



Topographically, this plain of pluvial and fluvial deposits takes 

 the form of a series of fans joined together at their lateral edges. 

 At first glance, either in the field or upon the topographic maps, 



