The Harney Basin is an arid basin (and a physiographic section) in southeastern Oregon in the United States, at the northwestern corner of the Great Basin. Oregon ( is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Great Basin is a large arid region of the western United States. One of the least populated areas of the contiguous United States, it is located largely in northern Harney County, bounded on the north and east by the Columbia Plateau (of which it is contained within, physiographically) and the south and west by a volcanic plain. The term continental United States refers to the 48 contiguous states located on the North American continent south of the border with Canada plus the District Harney County is a county located in the US state of Oregon. Established in 1889, the County is named in honor of The Columbia River Plateau is a geologic and geographic region that lies across parts of the U Plate tectonics and hotspots Divergent plate boundaries At the The basin encompasses an area of approximately 13,800 sq mi (38,900 km²) in the watershed of Malheur Lake and Harney Lake. Malheur Lake is a Lake in an arid region of eastern Oregon, United States near Burns Oregon. Harney Lake is a shallow Alkali Lake basin located in southeast Oregon, United States, approximately thirty miles south of the town of Malheur Lake is a freshwater lake, while Harney Lake is saline-alkaline. [1]
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Description
The basin is specifically bounded on the north by the southern end of the Blue Mountains. The Blue Mountains are a Mountain range located largely in eastern Oregon and stretching into southeastern Washington in the United States The ridge of Steens Mountain separates the basin from the watershed of the Alvord Desert to the southeast. Steens Mountain is a large Fault-block mountain in the southeastern part of the U The Alvord Desert is a Desert located in Harney County, in southeastern Oregon in the western United States. [2] No streams cross the volcanic plains that separate the basin from the watershed of the Klamath River to the southwest. The Klamath River ( Ishkêesh in Karuk) approximately long is a major River in southern Oregon and northern California in the
The central basin receives an average of 6 in (150 mm) of rain per year, with the surrounding mountains receiving an average of 15 in (380 mm) per year. The center of the basin is a flat lowlands containing Malheur and Harney lakes, which receive the streams within the basin from the surrounding mountains, including the Silvies River from the north and the Donner und Blitzen River from the south. The Silvies River is a River in eastern Oregon. It is unique among Oregon rivers for not draining ultimately into an ocean and reverse forking (see River delta The Donner und Blitzen River is a river on the eastern Oregon high desert which drains a relatively arid basin the southern portion of Harney Basin, from roughly Harney Lake is the actual sink of the basin, connected in some years to Malheur Lake but currently separated by constantly changing sand dunes. In physical Geography, a dune is a Hill of Sand built by Aeolian processes. Both lakes cycle between open water in wetter years and marshes in drier years.
The wetlands around Malheur Lake and Harney Lake form a wetlands oasis in the basin, providing a habitat for many migratory bird species, including 2. A wetland is an area of Land consisting of Soil that is Saturated with Moisture, such as a Swamp, Marsh, or Bog 5 million ducks each year. For duck as a food see Duck (food; for other meanings see Duck (disambiguation. Malheur Lake and its surroundings are embraced by Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. Malheur National Wildlife Refuge is located roughly south of the town of Burns Oregon, situated around Frenchglen.
The basin has a total population of fewer than 10,000 people. The only community with a population larger than 1,000 is Burns which sits in the plain north of Malheur Lake. Burns is a city in and county seat of Harney County, Oregon, United States. Dryland ranching is the basis of economy, with little relatively irrigation water available from the streams that enter Malheur Lake. Irrigation is an artificial application of water to the soil usually for assisting in growing crops
History
The basin was formed approximately 32,000 years ago when lava flows formed the Malheur Gap, separating the watershed of the basin from the Malheur River, a tributary of the Snake River. Lava is molten rock expelled by a Volcano during an eruption When first expelled from a volcanic vent it is a Liquid at Temperatures The Malheur River (pronounced "muh-LOOR" by non-Oregonians locals pronounce the name "MAL-hyure" is a tributary of the Snake River, approximately long Archaeological evidence indicates the basin was inhabited as early as 10,000 years ago. Pollen records indicate that the climate, especially the level of rain and snowfall, has varied greatly since the end of the Pleistocene. The Pleistocene ('plaɪstəsin is the epoch from 18 million to 10000 years BP covering the world's recent period Evidence of prehistoric fishing techniques is found at several sites. Evidence suggests that several species--in particular the chiselmouth, coarse-scale suckers, and northern squawfish--existed in the basin that are currently found only in the Columbia River basin; indicating that at some point the basin may have been connected to the Columbia. The chiselmouth is an unusual Cyprinid Fish of western North America. Catostomidae is the sucker family of the order Cypriniformes. The northern squawfish, pikeminnow, or Columbia River dace, Ptychocheilus oregonensis, is a large member of the Minnow family Cyprinidae The Columbia River (known as During wetter years, the lake level of Malheur Lake was raised to a depth of 25 ft (7. 5 m), allowing the lakes to drain over the Malheur Gap. In modern times, however, the lake level does not rise above 10 ft (3 m) in the wettest years.
In the 19th century the basin was inhabited by the Northern Paiute tribe. The 19th century of the Common Era began on January 1, 1801 and ended on December 31, 1900, according to the Gregorian calendar It was explored and extensively trapped by trappers of the Hudson's Bay Company in the 1820s. The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal Fur. Events and trends Nationalistic independence helped reshape the world during this decade Greece gains independence from the Ottoman Empire The basin lay far off the route of the Oregon Trail, but in 1843 experienced mountain man Stephen Meek led an ill-fated party across the basin via Stinkingwater Pass, seeking a shortcut to The Dalles along what has become known as the Meek Cutoff. Pioneers traveled across the Oregon Trail, one of the main overland migration routes on the North American Continent, in wagons in order to settle new parts of the Year 1843 ( MDCCCXLIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common Stephen Meek may refer to Stephen Meek (guide, led emigrants astray along the Oregon Trail Stephen Meek (headmaster, headmaster of the This page is about the Oregon town For the nearby geological formation The Dalles see Celilo Falls. The Meek Cutoff was a wagon trail that branched off from the Oregon Trail in what is now the U A total of 23 people died while the party wandered in the basin until finding water at the Crooked River. The Crooked River is a Tributary of the Deschutes River in the U
Because of its climate it received little white settlement and was largely left to the Paiute until the late 19th century. The 19th century of the Common Era began on January 1, 1801 and ended on December 31, 1900, according to the Gregorian calendar Settlement pressures and conflicts with the Paiute in other ares of Oregon caused President Ulysses S. Grant in 1872 to create a reservation for the Paiute encompassing Malheur Lake and much of the basin. Ulysses S Grant, born Hiram Ulysses Grant (April 27 1822 &ndash July 23 1885 was an American general and the eighteenth President of the United States Year 1872 ( MDCCCLXXII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year The Malheur Reservation was a former Indian reservation in the U Growing settlement pressures, in particular the discovery of gold in the surrounding mountains, as well as the interest of white settlers to form ranches in the region, caused Grant to abruptly terminate the reservation in 1879. Gold (ˈɡoʊld is a Chemical element with the symbol Au (from its Latin name aurum) and Atomic number 79 Year 1879 ( MDCCCLXXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The Northern Paiute would survive virtually landless until obtaining tracts of land near Burns in 1935. Year 1935 ( MCMXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
See also
References
- ^ GREATER HARNEY BASIN AGRICULTURAL WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT AREA PLAN, p. 15 & p. 17ff (.PDF)
- ^ Google Earth: bbs. Oregon Outback is an unofficial term generally used to reference the High desert Basin and Range country of the central southern portion of the U The Basin and Range Province is a large geologic province which includes parts of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, typified by Basin and keyhole. com/ubb/placemarks/cl-03-20-06-980475833. kmz
External links
- USFWS: Archaeology in the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge
- Oregon Magazine: Harney Basin
- John Day Fossil Beds: History
- Archaeology: Harney County, Oregon
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