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1982 Map of Lumley Lake

Name: 1982 Topographic Map of Lumley Lake
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1987
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1987

About this map

White Sands Missile Range dominates this landscape in southern New Mexico, where the desert floor is defined by ephemeral hydrology and wind-blown geology. This orthophotomap, based on early 1970s aerial photography, provides a literal view of the White Sands dune fields and the expansive Alkali Flat. The presence of Lumley Lake, Big Salt Lake, and Little Salt Lake reveals a basin where water is seasonal and saline, leaving behind mineral crusts as it evaporates.

Evidence of human intervention in this arid environment appears through military and infrastructure markings, such as the S W 50 Site and a Radio Tower. Near the northern boundary, the CCC Tank likely references the work of the Civilian Conservation Corps, a tangible link to Great Depression-era land management. The boundary between Sierra Co and Dona Ana Co cuts across the lower portion of the sheet, dividing a territory characterized by Shifting Sand and the intermittent flow of Salt Creek.