Borax Lake is a

alkaline lake A soda lake or alkaline lake is a lake on the strongly alkaline side of neutrality, typically with a pH, pH value between 9 and 12. They are characterized by high concentrations of carbonate salts, typically sodium carbonate (and related salt com ...

in the

Alvord Desert The Alvord Desert is a desert located in Harney County, in southeastern Oregon in the Western United States. It is roughly southeast of Steens Mountain. The Alvord Desert is a dry lake bed and averages of rain a year. Two mountain ranges se ...

of southeastern

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

in the United States. The lake is fed by geothermal springs below the surface that range in temperature from . Surface water temperatures usually range from but occasionally go higher. The springs lie along the Steens fault zone, which runs north–south through the Alvord Valley east of

Steens Mountain Steens Mountain is in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Oregon, and is a large fault-block mountain. Located in Harney County, it stretches some north to south, and rises from the west side the Alvord Desert at elevation of about to a ...

The lake contains high concentrations of

borax Borax is a salt (ionic compound), a hydrated borate of sodium, with chemical formula often written . It is a colorless crystalline solid, that dissolves in water to make a basic solution. It is commonly available in powder or granular form, ...

(sodium borate), as well as

arsenic Arsenic is a chemical element with the symbol As and atomic number 33. Arsenic occurs in many minerals, usually in combination with sulfur and metals, but also as a pure elemental crystal. Arsenic is a metalloid. It has various allotropes, but ...

and lead. Despite this, it is home to a unique species of fish, known as the

Borax Lake chub The Borax Lake chub (''Siphateles boraxobius'') is a rare cyprinid fish found only in outflows and pools around Borax Lake, a small lake of the Alvord basin, Harney County, Oregon. This species typically reaches only in length, although some ...

. The species was formerly threatened by development of

geothermal energy Geothermal energy is the thermal energy in the Earth's crust which originates from the formation of the planet and from radioactive decay of materials in currently uncertain but possibly roughly equal proportions. The high temperature and pres ...

in the vicinity. However, in 1993

The Nature Conservancy The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a global environmental organization headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. it works via affiliates or branches in 79 countries and territories, as well as across every state in the US. Founded in 1951, The Natu ...

bought of private land, including the lake, in order to protect it; the

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS or FWS) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats. The mission of the agency is "working with oth ...

has designated near the lake as

critical habitat Critical habitat is a habitat area essential to the conservation of a listed species, though the area need not actually be occupied by the species at the time it is designated. This is a specific term and designation within the U.S. Endangered Spec ...

, and the Steens Mountain Cooperative Management and Protection Act of 2000 put the area around the lake off-limits to geothermal exploration and mining. The lake and nearby wetlands and water bodies such as Alvord Lake, north of the small community of

Fields Fields may refer to: Music *Fields (band), an indie rock band formed in 2006 *Fields (progressive rock band), a progressive rock band formed in 1971 * ''Fields'' (album), an LP by Swedish-based indie rock band Junip (2010) * "Fields", a song by ...

, provide important bird habitat.

History

In the late 19th century, a mining company called ''Rose Valley Borax'' bought the springs and the land around it. The borax salts emanating from the springs had collected on the surface and formed a low dome a across. The company mined the borax for about 10 years. Wagons pulled by mule teams delivered the borax to a railway terminal in

Winnemucca, Nevada Winnemucca () is the only incorporated city in, and is the county seat of, Humboldt County, Nevada, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 8,431, up 14.0 percent from the 2010 census figure of 7,396. Intersta ...

. Ruins of buildings associated with borax mining, which ended here in 1902, remain near the lake in the 21st century. Interest in mining for boron and other substances in the Alvord Lake basin rose again in the 1940s and 1950s. A geologist who took samples from hot springs in and near Borax Lake (then also called ''Hot Lake'') reported in 1960 on the prospects for resumed commercial mining in the area. He estimated the total accumulation of

borate A borate is any of several boron oxyanions, negative ions consisting of boron and oxygen, such as orthoborate , metaborate , or tetraborate ; or any salt with such anions, such as sodium metaborate, and disodium tetraborate . The name also refe ...

s from Borax Lake and another nearby hot springs at about a year.

References

External links

Eastern Oregon Online
– Portland Community College geology department {{authority control Lakes of Oregon Lakes of Harney County, Oregon Nature reserves in Oregon Protected areas of Harney County, Oregon Nature Conservancy preserves Endorheic lakes of Oregon

History

See also

References

External links