Pluvial pathology of Nevada, Part 1.
The legacy of pluvial lakes in Nevada may be the state's most redeeming Quaternary quality. Not only did it host the lion's share of Lake Lahontan (and its earlier precursors) but it hosted a small part of Lake Bonneville in addition to 10s of other large-ish lakes in isolated closed basins. I used to teach field camp out in Spring Valley, Nevada and recall that every year the crop of students was generally blown away by the presence of shoreline deposits and landforms in the arid interior of Nevada. Come to think of it, it is downright pathological...the freaking driest state in the country was full of lakes only 12,000 years ago.These images show some elaborate depositional forms including spits, bars, and cusps. Note how the cool array of cross-cutting relationships lends itself to an appreciation of surficial processes.
This image also includes a nice reminder that all streams that cut through relief are not antecedent.
I have posted this before, but it is amazing enough to post twice. At field camp, we would have an impromptu frisbee game on the big playa...aptly named: Big Hard Pan. This bar complex shows all kinds of evidence for downstream-cascading stream integration on a small scale.