Breakout!

Due to the flooding here recently, water ponded locally behind a line of partially stabilized sand dunes just east of Washoe Lake. With the successive storms, the ponds got deeper until they spilled over at some low places, flowing out to the main lake and carving channels in the process.

This is one such place. The left inset shows this point just before the storm that finally caused spillover. Note the two square posts in the foreground with the angled cut, painted yellow, at the top. The left one, in my shadow, was washed completely away. (In case you’re wondering, they were part of a horse obstacle course.) The middle inset shows this channel leading out into Washoe Lake (i.e., from this point looking the opposite direction), and the right inset is a close-up of the stream when it was actively flowing into the lake. The current was strong enough to push away the waves raised by the wind.

Geology in action!