Enhanced TIFF Sidescan-Sonar Mosaic of Las Vegas Wash - Lake Mead, Nevada: Geographic Coordinates

Lake Mead is a large interstate reservoir located in the Mojave Desert of southeastern Nevada and northwestern Arizona. It was impounded in 1935 by the construction of Hoover Dam and is one of a series of multi-purpose reservoirs on the Colorado River. The lake extends 183 km from the mouth of the Grand Canyon to Black Canyon, the site of Hoover Dam, and provides water for residential, commercial, industrial, recreational, and other non-agricultural users in communities across the southwestern United States. Extensive research has been conducted on Lake Mead, but a majority of the studies have involved determining levels of anthropogenic contaminants such as synthetic organic compounds, heavy metals and dissolved ions, furans/dioxins, and nutrient loading in lake water, sediment, and biota (Preissler, et al., 1998; Bevans et al, 1996; Bevans et al., 1998; Covay and Leiker, 1998; LaBounty and Horn, 1997; Paulson, 1981). By contrast, little work has focused on the sediments in the lake and the processes of deposition (Gould, 1951). To address these questions, sidescan-sonar imagery and high-resolution seismic-reflection profiles were collected throughout Lake Mead by the USGS in cooperation with researchers from University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV). These data allow a detailed mapping of the surficial geology and the distribution and thickness of sediment that has accumulated in the lake since the completion of Hoover Dam. Results indicate that the accumulation of post-impoundment sediment is primarily restricted to former river and stream beds that are now submerged below the lake while the margins of the lake appear to be devoid of post-impoundment sediment. The sediment cover along the original Colorado River bed is continuous and is typically greater than 10 m thick through much of its length. Sediment thickness in some areas exceeds 35 m while the smaller tributary valleys typically are filled with less than 4 m of sediment. Away from the river beds that are now covered with post-impoundment sediment, pre-impoundment alluvial deposits and rock outcrops are still exposed on the lake floor.

米德湖（Lake Mead）是坐落于内华达州东南部与亚利桑那州西北部莫哈韦沙漠中的大型跨州水库。1935年，胡佛大坝（Hoover Dam）的建成使其得以蓄水，它亦是科罗拉多河上一系列多功能水库之一。该湖从大峡谷河口延伸至胡佛大坝所在的布莱克峡谷，全长183千米，可为美国西南部各社区的住宅、商业、工业、娱乐及其他非农用水用户提供水源。
已有大量针对米德湖的研究，但多数研究聚焦于测定湖水、沉积物及生物体内的人为污染物水平，包括合成有机化合物、重金属、溶解离子、呋喃/二噁英以及营养盐负荷（Preissler等，1998；Bevans等，1996；Bevans等，1998；Covay与Leiker，1998；LaBounty与Horn，1997；Paulson，1981）。与之相对，针对湖内沉积物及其沉积过程的研究却寥寥无几（Gould，1951）。
为填补这一研究空白，美国地质调查局（USGS）联合内华达大学拉斯维加斯分校（University of Nevada, Las Vegas, UNLV）的研究人员，在米德湖全域采集了侧扫声呐影像与高分辨率地震反射剖面数据。这些数据可用于详细绘制胡佛大坝建成后，米德湖内堆积沉积物的表层地质特征、分布规律与厚度。
研究结果显示，蓄水后沉积物的堆积主要集中于现已被湖水淹没的古河道与古河床区域，而湖岸带几乎无蓄水后沉积物分布。原科罗拉多河河床沿线的沉积物盖层连续分布，大部分河段的沉积物厚度均超过10米；部分区域的沉积物厚度甚至超过35米，而小型支流河谷的沉积物充填厚度通常不足4米。除现已被蓄水后沉积物覆盖的河床区域外，湖底仍裸露有蓄水前的冲积沉积物与岩石露头。