Geomorphology of a Dry Valley: Adrian Pass, Lahontan Basin, Nevada

Adrian Pass is a dry valley that cuts across the present drainage divide separating the lower Carson and Walker River Basins. Previous studies of Adrian Pass have postulated that it is an abandoned channel of the Walker River. The evidence presented in this study suggests that Adrian Pass was formed by Quaternary lake overflow and was occupied by the Walker River for relatively brief periods. A landform chronology for Adrian Pass is developed using evidence that includes paleochannel deposits, comparison of the Post-Lake Lahontan history of Walker Lake with that of the Carson Desert, and Lake Lahontan shorelines in the Walker Basin. A historical analogue for Adrian Pass is Mud Lake Slough, which divides Pyramid Lake and Winnemucca Lake Basins. The Quaternary history of Adrian Pass, which has been affected by multiple events of both lake overflow discharge and river diversion, demonstrates how complex closed-basin hydrological changes can be through time.