1983 Map of Ford Dry Lake

About this map

The Chuckwalla Valley floor dominates this 1983 topographic study, centered on the stark geological formation of Ford Dry Lake. This arid landscape is defined by the massive (DEPRESSION) that contains the dry lakebed and several scattered Dry Lakes to the east. To the north, the terrain rises sharply into the jagged ridges of the Palen Mountains, which are dissected by a complex network of Dry Washes draining toward the basin floor. Human activity in this desert environment is primarily industrial and infrastructural. A series of underground gas lines, including 3 UG Gas Lines and 1 UG Gas Line, traverse the southern portion of the quadrangle. Significant earth-moving activity is evident near these corridors, marked by multiple Borrow Pits along the valley floor, while access is limited to unimproved tracks like the 5 Jeep trail.