Great Basin
Nevada's landlocked watershed
The Great Basin is a large arid region of the western United States, spanning Nevada and parts of Utah, California, Oregon, and Idaho.
Its defining feature is internal drainage—rivers and streams flow inward rather than reaching the ocean, often ending in salt flats or seasonal lakes.
The terrain is characterized by parallel mountain ranges separated by desert valleys.
The Great Basin gets cold winters and scorching summers.
Silver State out west
- UtahBeehive State, western region
- OregonNorthwestern U.S. state
- IdahoNorthwestern American state
- CaliforniaWest coast megastate
watershed · topography · hydrography · high desert · salt flats · mountain ranges · valleys · playas
Great Basin indigenous people
- PaiuteGreat Basin indigenous people
- UteGreat Basin Indigenous group
- WashoeSigning chimpanzee subject
- Fremont culturePre-Columbian Utah society
Donner Party · pioneers · explorers · fur trappers · Oregon Trail · Pony Express · transcontinental railroad · mining boom
Devoid of water
- sagebrushAromatic arid-land shrub
- shrublandBush-dominated vegetation zone
- droughtProlonged water scarcity
- alkaliAcid-neutralizing ionic compound
salt flats · sand dunes · evaporation · creosote · cold desert · greasewood · dry lakes · sparse vegetation
Extremely great in size
- remoteDistant or controller
- isolatedSeparated from others
- expansiveCovering a large area
- sweepingExtensive and far-reaching
open · boundless · rugged · austere · desolate · stark · windswept · empty
Fast hoofed plains mammal
- jackrabbitsLarge, swift North American hares
- coyotesNorth American wild canids
- rattlesnakesVenomous snakes with tail noisemakers
- scorpionsVenomous tailed arachnids
lizards · owls · wild horses · bighorn sheep · mule deer · kit fox · kangaroo rat · golden eagle
Major ecological community
- ecosystemInterconnected organisms and surroundings
- habitatOrganism's natural environment
- biodiversityRange of life forms
- endemicNative to one area
conservation · riparian · wetlands · adaptation · invasive species · keystone species · flora · fauna
Nevada
Silver State out west
California · watershed · topography · hydrography · high desert · salt flats · mountain ranges · valleys · playas · rain shadow
Shoshone
Great Basin indigenous people
Fremont culture · Donner Party · pioneers · explorers · fur trappers · Oregon Trail · Pony Express · transcontinental railroad · mining boom · Comstock Lode
arid
Devoid of water
- sagebrushAromatic arid-land shrub
- shrublandBush-dominated vegetation zone
- droughtProlonged water scarcity
alkali · salt flats · sand dunes · evaporation · creosote · cold desert · greasewood · dry lakes · sparse vegetation · extreme temperatures
vast
Extremely great in size
sweeping · open · boundless · rugged · austere · desolate · stark · windswept · empty · harsh
pronghorn
Fast hoofed plains mammal
- jackrabbitsLarge, swift North American hares
- coyotesNorth American wild canids
- rattlesnakesVenomous snakes with tail noisemakers
scorpions · lizards · owls · wild horses · bighorn sheep · mule deer · kit fox · kangaroo rat · golden eagle · horned lizard
biome
Major ecological community
- ecosystemInterconnected organisms and surroundings
- habitatOrganism's natural environment
- biodiversityRange of life forms
endemic · conservation · riparian · wetlands · adaptation · invasive species · keystone species · flora · fauna · threatened species
- Nevada ParksBig Bend
- stargazingtelescope, stargazing guides, night sky, stars, constellation
- American desertsMojave Desert, Sonoran Desert, Death Valley, Painted Desert, Mojave
- American LandformsGrand Canyon, Rocky Mountains, Rockies, Appalachian Mountains, Appalachians
- American RegionsMidwest, Southwest, Northwest, Deep South, Pacific Northwest
- Mountain WestColorado, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho
Great BasinCongo Basin
Major African river watershed
tropical rainforest · Pacific Northwest · Great Lakes region · Everglades · temperate rainforest
Great Basincoastal lowlands
Low terrain near shore
Mississippi Delta · Great Plains · Central Valley · Columbia Plateau · Appalachian Mountains
Great BasinPacific Northwest
Coastal American region, northward
Florida Everglades · Louisiana bayou · Gulf Coast · Amazon rainforest · Great Lakes region
great, basin, greatly, greatest, greater, greatness, basins, basing