February 8, 2008--High altitude lake became arctic desert (Alamosa News)
San Luis Valley residents live on the lakebed of a 5 million-year-old lake, according to Michael Machette and Tien Grauch, research geoscienctists for the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Denver office. From top to bottom, east to west, Lake Alamosa was three times the size of Lake Powell at 4,000 kilometers squared. The lake reached a maximum altitude of 2,325 to 2,330 meters before spilling over the rim of the Valley basin creating a lengthier riverbed for the Rio Grande. The soil in this region is affected by the presence of a lake. The soil is heavy with calcium carbonate and blue clay in some parts of the Valley.
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