1984 Map of Cadiz Valley NW

About this map

Cadiz Valley dominates this 1984 provisional survey, revealing the stark topography of the Mojave Desert floor as it meets the edge of Cadiz Lake. The map illustrates a landscape defined by dramatic elevation changes, with the dry lake bed in the northeast corner serving as a low-point basin for the surrounding terrain. Sparse human intervention is marked only by remote 4wd tracks that navigate the alluvial fans and complex contouring of the region. This document captures the wilderness in a transitional state during the mid-1980s, providing a precise record of desert geomorphology before modern digital mapping. The use of metric contours on this provisional edition reflects a specific era of USGS cartographic standards, emphasizing the physical geometry of the valley and the salt crust margins of the lake.