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Geologic Trip, Northern
Sierra Donner Pass This photograph, taken from
McGlashan Point on old Donner Pass Road, looks eastward toward Donner Lake. McGlashan Point is near the top of
the steep eastern escarpment of the Sierra Nevada, about 1,000 feet above
Donner Lake. This escarpment was formed by faulting along the Sierra Nevada
fault zone. The Sierra Nevada was uplifted an estimated 1,800 feet along the
fault zone, which lies between McGlashan Point and Donner Lake. Looking
east from McGlashan Point you can see down the U-shaped glacial valley of the
Truckee River. During Pleistocene time, glaciers from Donner Pass eastward down this river valley. From here, you can see the
lateral moraines that were formed by the glaciers on both sides of the
valley, and the recessional moraine that forms the dam at the far end of Donner Lake. Exterior Websites California Geology California State Parks: Sierra College _____ |