This is “The Forty Mile Desert!! Middle Of The Worst Lifeless, Waterless , Desolation, Any Where In Nevada. How EVER Did The Gold Rush ‘49ers and Their Animals Survive 40 Miles of THIS?
As panorama opens, you see miles of loose sand the pioneer California Trail Emigrants had to endure in the August/September heat. This is total life void called “The 40 mile desert”, and was by far the most dangerous part of the California or Oregon Trails. Click on Wikipedia link below.
Geology: This area of USA is called Basin & Range Provence. Apparently the continental plate that underlies this area of our country is being “pulled apart”, is a series of many, many, semi parallel wide “cracks”. Over eons of time the high places between the cracks (seen in the panorama above as distant mountains) wear off to sand & dust, that fills the low places (seen in the panorama above as flat sandy areas between the mountains). Due to the “pulling apart” hot magma can rise closer to the surface, causing in this area numerous hot springs and steam vents. Click on Basin & Range Wikipedia link below.
Detour in new browser for Wikipedia re AND Scroll to Humboldt Sink AND then Forty Mile Desert.
Detour in new browser frame for in Wikipedia Lanthon Valley re AND Scroll to Forty Mile Desert. .
Detour in new browser frame for California Trail, a National Park Service Resource.
Detour in new browser frame for Wikipedia Basin & Range Provence.

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(Photo = 123-2342+7 ...... ZMM Page = None ...... WayPt = 079 ~4027ft)