Denali National Park and Preserve Large-scale irrigation was introduced to the San Joaquin Valley in the late 19th century, and led to the construction of numerous state, federal and privately owned dams, which blocked migrating salmon and caused a large decline in riparian habitat. The average annual flow recorded there was 1,185 cubic feet per second (33.6m3/s) from 1923 to 1966. Less apparent are ground moraines, also called glacial drift, which often blankets the surface underneath the glacier downslope from the equilibrium line. Gradual sedimentation filled Lake Yosemite, creating a broad and flat valley floor. [8][9], The Merced River is the third largest tributary of the San Joaquin River. Learn | National Snow and Ice Data Center This modern structure was preceded by the old Exchequer Dam forming 281,000-acre-foot (347,000,000m3) Exchequer Reservoir. In 1851 the Mariposa Battalion was formed to drive the remaining Ahwahnechee out of the valley into reservations. Around 11,000 years ago, the terminus of the glacier was in the Rhne Valley and the glacier's edge reached almost as far as Riederfurka. [16], One species of interest is the limestone salamander, an extremely rare amphibian whose only habitat is the Merced Canyon downstream of Yosemite Valley. [32] Eventually, they succeeded in driving most of the Indians out of the Yosemite Valley, first into a reservation near Fresno. The course of the Merced then turns to the north west and flows through a steep walled canyon for 2.5 miles (4.0km) where the river receives the Red Peak Fork and then collects into Washburn Lake, 7,612 feet (2,320m) above sea level. Irrigation has taken most of the water out of the lower river, which is often reduced to a small stream where it joins the San Joaquin. The Merced River watershed encompasses 1,726 square miles (4,470km2) in the central Sierra Nevada. Outwash plain Below New Exchequer, the river flows west through a heavily irrigated region of the Central Valley, passing through McSwain and Crocker-Huffman Dams and the cities of Hopeton, Delhi and Livingston. Quick facts, basic science, and information about snow, ice, and why the cryosphere matters The cryosphere includes all of the snow and ice-covered regions across the planet. Moraine Today, the Merced River above Lake McClure is completely free-flowing and unobstructed by any dams. [3] From its headwaters, the river flows north for a short distance and collects the Lyell Peak Fork. The Lake McClure gauge, located at the former mining town of Bagby, is probably the most accurate gauge for flows overall. The upper section of the river, defined as the stretch from Lake McClure to the headwaters, has 11 species of fish. [12] Finally, for the gauge at Happy Isles, the largest flow ever recorded was 10,100 cubic feet per second (290m3/s) in the 1997 Yosemite floods, which destroyed many campgrounds, roads, paths, and bridges in the valley. Class 9 Geography Solutions Chapter 4 Exogenetic Irrigation return flows carry pesticides, fertilizer and other pollutants into the river. Retreat of glaciers since 1850 The Merced River drops over Nevada Fall and Vernal Fall, together known as the "Giant Staircase", then receives Illilouette Creek and flows into Yosemite Valley, where it meanders between pine forests and meadows that fill the valley floor. Environmental movements led by John Muir and Robert Underwood Johnson convinced the U.S. Congress to establish Yosemite National Park in 1890. Glaciers such as Classen, Godley and Douglas now all have new glacial lakes below their terminal locations due to the glacial retreat over the past 20 years. They named the river Rio de Nuestra Seora de la Merced (River of Our Lady of Mercy), who is the patron saint of the diocese of Barcelona and is celebrated on September 24. Wikipedia The Merced River (/mrsd/), in the central part of the U.S. state of California, is a 145-mile (233km)-long[1] tributary of the San Joaquin River flowing from the Sierra Nevada into the San Joaquin Valley. 'study of ice') is the scientific study of glaciers, or more generally ice and natural phenomena that involve ice. Great Aletsch Glacier We can also trace how the Great Aletsch Glacier has grown and receded in the landscape of the Aletsch Forest. Since 1980 numerous small glacial lakes formed behind the new terminal moraines of several of these glaciers. The California Gold Rush brought many people into California and some settled in towns along the lower Merced River. Many depositional landforms result from sediment deposited or reshaped by State Route 140 follows the river out of the west entrance to the national park, a few miles before the South Fork Merced River, the largest tributary, joins from the left. There are no trails along some segments, including the lower Bridalveil Creek, upper South Fork, and specifically Tenaya Canyon, which is extremely dangerous.[6]. Since 1980 numerous small glacial lakes formed behind the new terminal moraines of several of these glaciers. Glacier Bay Basin in southeastern Alaska, in the United States, encompasses the Glacier Bay and surrounding mountains and glaciers, which was first proclaimed a U.S. National Monument on February 25, 1925, and which was later, on December 2, 1980, enlarged and designated as the Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve under the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Glacier Glacier Bay Basin Outwash plain It is strongly characterised and divided into different areas by end moraines, various glacial snouts and medial moraines. [41], The Merced Irrigation District (MID) operates most of the irrigation infrastructure on the lower river, which supplies water to 154,394 acres (624.81km2) of farmland. One of these trips, headed by lieutenant Gabriel Moraga, arrived on the south bank of the Merced River on September 29, 1806. A V shaped valley is formed due to the erosional work of a river. According to the standard model, glaciers formed in pre-glacial valleys with a gently sloping valley floor. Those that fall on the sides of the glacier form lateral moraines. Lateral moraines are those formed at the side of the ice flow, and terminal moraines were formed at the foot, marking the maximum advance of the glacier. The work of the glacier then left an overdeepened U-shaped valley that ends abruptly at a valley or trough end. Landscapes of glacial deposition Several cities that did achieve prominence, however, include Merced and Turlock, both located on the railroad.[31]. Up to 85% of the flow above Happy Isles comes from melting snow. [14], Many species of plants are found throughout the middle and upper basin, including California poppy, white alder, Oregon ash, oak, poison oak, bigleaf maple, Indian rhubarb, buttonbush, willow, whiteleaf manzanita, and historically, sugar pine, before heavy logging in the late 19th century. After the Tioga Glacier retreated this moraine formed a lake that flooded nearly the entire valley. The river's character changes dramatically once it reaches the plains of the agricultural San Joaquin Valley, where it becomes a slow-moving meandering stream.[2]. Lake Constance was formed by the Rhine Glacier during the ice age and is a Zungenbecken or tongue lake. Squirrels, raccoon, jackrabbits, bats, skunks, beavers, mule deer, coyote, bobcat and black bear are among the mammal species found in the middle and upper watershed. Glacier Bay Basin Later, when the glaciers retreated leaving behind their freight of crushed rock and sand (glacial drift), they created characteristic depositional landforms.Examples include glacial moraines, eskers, and kames. [20][21][22], The first and largest glacier was the Sherwin or Pre-Tahoe glacier, which eroded the upper Merced watershed to an extent close to its present form. Quick facts, basic science, and information about snow, ice, and why the cryosphere matters The cryosphere includes all of the snow and ice-covered regions across the planet. When the ice under the till melts, the till slumps in and forms depressions called kettles. Gradual sedimentation filled Lake Yosemite, creating a broad and flat valley floor. Till or glacial till is unsorted glacial sediment.. Till is derived from the erosion and entrainment of material by the moving ice of a glacier.It is deposited some distance down-ice to form terminal, lateral, medial and ground moraines.. Till is classified into primary deposits, laid down directly by glaciers, and secondary deposits, reworked by fluvial transport and other processes. A railroad was built along the Merced canyon, enabling mining and logging in the upper watershed, and later carrying tourists to Yosemite National Park. Great Aletsch Glacier The headwaters of the Merced River are at 8,017 feet (2,444m) at the foot of the Clark Range subrange of the Sierra Nevada, rising at the confluence of the Triple Peak Fork and Merced Peak Fork after they cascade down glacially polished slopes from the high country in the southeastern corner of Yosemite National Park. [18] Extensive layers of marine sedimentary rock that originally made up the ancient Pacific seabed were also pushed up by the rising granite, and the ancestral Merced River formed on this layer of rock. Beyond the glacial moraine at the western end of the valley the river flows through the steep Merced River Canyon, picks up Cascade Creek and turns south near El Portal. [38][39], Downstream of New Exchequer Dam is McSwain Dam, which serves as a regulating forebay for New Exchequer Dam and also generates power. As noted in the Preface to the first edition, engineering geology can be defined as the application of Geology to engineering practice. [19], Over about 80 million years, erosion caused the transportation of massive amounts of alluvial sediment to the floor of the Central Valley, where it was trapped between the California Coast Range on the west and the Sierra Nevada on the east, forming an incredibly flat and fertile land surface. It joins the San Joaquin River at Hills Ferry, a few miles south of Turlock.[4][5][6]. The work of the glacier then left an overdeepened U-shaped valley that ends abruptly at a valley or trough end. Fall chinook salmon travel up a fish ladder into the hatchery's pools, which are supplied with water diverted from the Merced River.[15][37]. The California Gold Rush in the 1850s saw gradually increasing mining in Merced Canyon and Yosemite Valley. Many other trails lead throughout the Merced River watershed, notably the John Muir Trail, which starts near Happy Isles and climbs the Giant Staircase, past Vernal and Nevada Falls, into Little Yosemite Valley and north along Sunrise Creek to join the Pacific Crest Trail near Tuolumne Meadows. The Yosemite Valley Railroad, originally established with the discovery of mineral deposits in Yosemite Valley and Merced Canyon, continued functioning through the early 20th century carrying tourists to Yosemite Valley along the Merced River. Glaciers such as Classen, Godley and Douglas now all have new glacial lakes below their terminal locations due to the glacial retreat over the past 20 years. Other national forests protecting more of the Merced River upper basin followed, including Sierra National Forest and Stanislaus National Forest. In addition, the river is fed by dozens of high Sierra lakes, the largest of which include Merced Lake, Tenaya Lake, Ostrander Lake, the Chain Lakes, and May Lake. Birds are more abundant along the slow-moving lower river, which has more suitable riparian habitat compared to the rocky, swift upper river. Fjord Denali National Park and Preserve Less apparent are ground moraines, also called glacial drift, which often blankets the surface underneath the glacier downslope from the equilibrium line. When the ice under the till melts, the till slumps in and forms depressions called kettles. The meltwater at the snout of the glacier deposits its load of sediment over the outwash plain, with larger boulders being To the north it is bordered by the watershed of the Tuolumne River, the other major river draining Yosemite National Park. Eventually, plans to establish a mission chain in the Valley were abandoned. In other words, it is concerned with those geological factors that influence the location, design, construction and maintenance of engineering works. Medial moraines are formed when two different glaciers merge and the lateral moraines of each coalesce to form a moraine in the middle of the combined glacier. Drumlin [6][7] The foothills experience a drier Mediterranean climate, while the San Joaquin Valley floor is dry enough to be considered semi-desert. Whitewater rafting is permitted throughout Merced River Canyon from the downstream half of Yosemite Valley to the entrance of Lake McClure. U.S. Geological Survey. Till or glacial till is unsorted glacial sediment.. Till is derived from the erosion and entrainment of material by the moving ice of a glacier.It is deposited some distance down-ice to form terminal, lateral, medial and ground moraines.. Till is classified into primary deposits, laid down directly by glaciers, and secondary deposits, reworked by fluvial transport and other processes. Anadromous fish species found in the lower river are chinook salmon, Pacific lamprey and striped bass. [20][21], When the last glacial period or Ice Age arrived, a series of four tremendous valley glaciers filled the upper basin of the Merced River. This glossary of geography terms is a list of definitions of terms and concepts used in geography and related fields, including Earth science, oceanography, cartography, and human geography, as well as those describing spatial dimension, topographical features, natural resources, and the collection, analysis, and visualization of geographic data.. Related terms may be found in The lowermost, the Crocker-Huffman Diversion Dam, was built in 1906 and completely blocks the passage of anadromous fish up the Merced River. [13], According to a study in 2006, there were 37 fish species, 127 bird species, and 140 insect and invertebrate species found in the Merced River watershed. Classified as a "high hazard" structure, it was originally considered for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places but was deemed too dangerous, and was subsequently removed. Satellite imagery indicates that these lakes are continuing to expand. Lateral moraines are those formed at the side of the ice flow, and terminal moraines were formed at the foot, marking the maximum advance of the glacier. Diversion of water for irrigation often reduces the river to a small stream by the time it reaches its mouth. As a whole, the system includes about 4,000 control gates and 793 miles (1,276km) of canals and laterals. Due to differences in climate, there is a large disparity between species found in the upper watershed (above Lake McClure) and along the lower river. Class 9 Geography Solutions Chapter 4 Exogenetic Other types of moraine include ground moraines (till-covered areas forming sheets on flat or irregular topography) and medial moraines (moraines formed where two glaciers meet). These three branches of each glacier combined to form one large glacier about 7,000 feet (2,100m) thick at maximum, stretching 25 miles (40km) downstream past the mouth of Yosemite Valley, well into Merced Canyon. Lake Constance was formed by the Rhine Glacier during the ice age and is a Zungenbecken or tongue lake. In the late 1880s a flour mill, woolen mill and a few lumber mills were constructed at Merced Falls. Upstream on the river, at Happy Isles, the average flow is 355 cubic feet per second (10.1m3/s). Such valleys are fjords when flooded by the Kettles are formed when glacial retreat and melting is rapid, and blocks of ice are still buried under till. Glacial Landforms ground moraines, ii) lateral moraines, iii) medial moraines, and iv) terminal moraines. A drumlin, from the Irish word droimnn ("littlest ridge"), first recorded in 1833, in the classical sense is an elongated hill in the shape of an inverted spoon or half-buried egg formed by glacial ice acting on underlying unconsolidated till or ground moraine.Assemblages of drumlins are referred to as fields or swarms; they can create a landscape which is often described as having [36], Irrigation with water from the Merced River continued to grow substantially until most of the arable land around the river, some 120,000 acres (490km2), was under cultivation. Many Native Americans in the area revolted, leading to conflicts between miners and the Ahwahnechee. Many Plains Miwok settled in the lowlands along the lower Merced River. In 1855, Merced County was created, named after the Merced River. The subglacial environment is the one most difficult to observe. [29] Some towns that followed were Hopeton, Snelling and Merced Falls, the latter named for a set of rapids on the Merced River near the present-day site of McSwain Dam. Glaciology Moraines are made up of pieces of rock that are shattered by frost action, embedded in the glaciers & brought down the valley. New Exchequer Dam is the largest dam on the river and forms Lake McClure, which holds 1,032,000 acre-feet (1.273109m3) of water for irrigation, flood control and hydropower generation. The river arcs northwest to receive the North Fork, and a few miles after it enters Lake McClure, formed by New Exchequer Dam. Moraines. Trails also follow the river through Little Yosemite Valley to the headwaters area, and along Illilouette, Bridalveil, Yosemite, Alder and Chilnualna Creeks, and the lower South Fork of the Merced River. The Sugar Pine Lumber Company and Yosemite Lumber Company operated lumber mills at Merced Falls for over thirty years, relying on narrow-gauge railroads to ship lumber from the Sierra Nevada along the Merced River. Leaving Merced Lake, the river continues to the west northwest for 2.3 miles (3.7km) where the canyons open up into Echo Valley. It is strongly characterised and divided into different areas by end moraines, various glacial snouts and medial moraines. The Sierra receives heavy snowfall in the winter, which melts in the spring and early summer causing annual flooding. [44], The name "Railroad Flat" originates from the Yosemite Valley Railroad, which once travelled up Merced River Canyon into Yosemite Valley. By the late 1950s and early 1960s, irrigation in the San Joaquin Valley was to such an extent that many of the rivers ran dry in sections. Glossary of geography terms In the early 20th century, when the upper Merced River basin lay mostly protected, the lower river was the subject of dam-building and irrigation diversions by the Merced Irrigation District. When lateral moraines adjacent to each other join, they create medial moraines, which are also carried down on the surface of the moving ice. Lake Constance Glacial landform When two glaciers converge, their inside lateral moraines unite to form a medial moraine. Other types of moraine include ground moraines (till-covered areas forming sheets on flat or irregular topography) and medial moraines (moraines formed where two glaciers meet). Sediments of glacial origin continued to travel down the Merced River following then, helping to form the flat floor of the Central Valley. Glaciology is an interdisciplinary Earth science that integrates geophysics, geology, physical geography, geomorphology, climatology, meteorology, hydrology, biology, and ecology. The District proposed the Exchequer Dam, completed in the mid-1920s and raised in the 1960s, as a water storage facility on the Merced River. [26], In the early 19th century, several military expeditions sent by Spanish colonists from coastal California traveled into the Central Valley. To protect the salamander, a 20-mile (32km) segment of the canyon covering 1,600 acres (6.5km2) was designated an "Area of Critical Environmental Concern" in 1986. [35] Little Yosemite Valley formed as a result of the underlying rock being harder than that below the Giant Staircase, the cliff wall containing Vernal Fall and Nevada Fall. Sediments formed in these different environments have different characteristics (particle size and sorting) because of their mode of deposition. [4][5][6] Tenaya, Yosemite, Bridalveil and Pigeon Creeks join the Merced River in Yosemite Valley. Lake Constance [28], Following the establishment of Merced County and the independence of California from Mexico, many settlers came to the Merced River area and established small towns on the Merced River. 'study of ice') is the scientific study of glaciers, or more generally ice and natural phenomena that involve ice. Glaciology is an interdisciplinary Earth science that integrates geophysics, geology, physical geography, geomorphology, climatology, meteorology, hydrology, biology, and ecology. As noted in the Preface to the first edition, engineering geology can be defined as the application of Geology to engineering practice. Around 11,000 years ago, the terminus of the glacier was in the Rhne Valley and the glacier's edge reached almost as far as Riederfurka. [10] A peak of 92,500 cubic feet per second (2,620m3/s) was reported there on December 23, 1955. Tenaya Canyon was actually eroded even deeper by an arm of the Tuolumne Glacier, which formed the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne and Hetch Hetchy Valley on the Tuolumne River in the north. Before irrigation started in the Central Valley and dams were constructed, the river's natural flow at the mouth was much higher than the current average of 661 cubic feet per second (18.7m3/s), or about 479,000 acre-feet (591,000,000m3) per year. Environmental measures enacted in the late 20th century have had some success in boosting chinook salmon populations, from a record low of 500 fish during several years in the 1950s, to a high of 30,000 in 1984. Originally built to generate hydropower, the dam was decommissioned in 1985 but remained standing for a number of years afterward. Those that fall on the sides of the glacier form lateral moraines. One of the first was Dover, established in 1844 at the confluence of the Merced River with the San Joaquin River. Engineering Geology , Second Edition By Glaciology Historically, there was an extensive riparian zone which provided habitat for millions of migrating birds, and the river had one of the southernmost runs of chinook salmon in North America. This moraine was actually one of several moraines deposited by the four glaciations, which include Medial Moraine and Bridalveil Moraine. When lateral moraines adjacent to each other join, they create medial moraines, which are also carried down on the surface of the moving ice. These various areas of the lake have their own names. Drumlins and ribbed moraines are also landforms left behind by retreating glaciers. Camping throughout the upper Merced watershed is generally only permitted in designated campgrounds. Drumlin Depending ond the location of the deposits, moraines can be divided into 4 types: ground moraines, lateral moraines, medial moraines and terminal moraines. Campgrounds along the Merced River and its tributaries include ones at Railroad Flat, McCabe Flat, Willow Placer, Merced Lake, Vogelsang Lake, Sunrise Creek, May Lake, Bridalveil Creek, and a ski hut at Ostrander Lake, the source of Bridalveil Creek. Over a period of time, the amount of load in the flow starts increasing. Glacial landform The immense lateral moraine that was formed in the process is clearly visible from the moraine trail. Drumlins and ribbed moraines are also landforms left behind by retreating glaciers. [14], There are 26 species of native and introduced fish in the lower Central Valley portion of the river, including Sacramento sucker, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass and carp. The MID is federally required to allow at least 15,000 acre-feet (19,000,000m3) of water annually to flow continually down the river, not including floodwater releases. The old concrete arch dam, completed in 1926, was flooded out when the new concrete-faced rockfill dam was built in 1967, but occasionally reappears during periods of low water. In the dry season, groundwater provides the only base flow to the river. After the great flood of 1997, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation surveyed the dam and found it in danger of failure. [42][43], The Merced River and its tributaries are a popular recreational area in part because of Yosemite National Park. This glossary of geography terms is a list of definitions of terms and concepts used in geography and related fields, including Earth science, oceanography, cartography, and human geography, as well as those describing spatial dimension, topographical features, natural resources, and the collection, analysis, and visualization of geographic data.. 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