Lahontan, Lake

Lahontan, Lake

(ləhŏn`tən), extinct lake of W Nev. and NE Calif. It was formed by heavy precipitation caused by the Pleistocene glaciers and with Lake Bonneville (see under Bonneville Salt FlatsBonneville Salt Flats
, desert area in Tooele co., NW Utah, c.14 mi (22.5 km) long and 7 mi (11.2 km) wide. The smooth salt surface of the Flats is ideal for auto racing, and several world land speed records have been set there.
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) occupied a part of the Great Basin region. Lake Lahontan vanished shortly after the Pleistocene epoch, but Pyramid, Winnemucca, and Walker lakes and Carson Sink are its remnants. The area, especially Lovelock Cave, Nev., is rich in Pleistocene fossils.