NEVADA, mt-vii'da, popularly the 'Sage brush State.' A \Vestern State of the United Status. Tlie4241 parallel of tort It latitude separates it from Gregon and Idaln, on the north. the 114th west of Greenwich from Utah and Ari 7.1/11:1 on the east, the Arizona boundary being continued on the southeast by the Colorado River as far as the :35th parallel. while a straight line running from the latter point nortliWest to Lake Tahoe in latitude 39' N.. and thence along the 12111It meridian. Nevada f1)111 Ca f"rnia 1111 I ht. -.1111111W,4 and west. Nevada ranks fourth in 'let among the States of the 'Union. It has an eNtreine I.ngtlt front north to south of .183 :did an extr1.111.• breadth of 320 miles. Its area is 110.700 square miles, of which 900 S(111411'1' consist of water.
T1,14)(.1t \ PH Y. The greater part of Nevada lies in the \inerican Basin included between the Sierra Nevada on the west and the \Vale:ate)] Jtoontains on the east, and bounded by cross ranges on the southwest and, less definitely, on the north. Neither of the main boundary ranges collies within this State, the crest of the Sierra lying wholly in California. and the Wahsatch running through the centre of Utah. This great basin forms a plateau whose floor lies 4000 to 6000 feet above the sea, though in the extreme southwest it is somewhat lower. From this floor rise a uniform series of parallel ranges from 10 to 25 miles apart. and running north and south through the length of the State, but broken here and there by passes and branch valleys. In the southwestern portion they are almost worn away, leaving isolated knobs scattered over the plain. Some of these ranges rise above 9000 feet, while most of them are over 7000 feet high. The highest point in the State is Wheeler Peak, near the centre of the eastern boundary, with an alti tude of 13,058 feet.
Since the surface of Nevada is a basin surrounded by mountains, a very small part of it drains into the ocean. In the extreme north rises the Itwylice, a tributary of the River system, and the extreme south eastern portion drains into the Colorado, which tlows on the southeastern boundary. A large part of the State, especially the south-central and southwestern portion. is without any rivers at all. the small streams running down the mountain slopes during the wet season being lost in the plains whore the water evaporates. The principal river is the Humboldt. which rises in the northeastern corner and llows across the State to 11 U m bold t Lake or Sink. Several rivers rise in the Sierra Nevada and flow into lakes and ,inks in the west-central part of the State. Among these are Walker River, lowing into Walker Lake. Carson River, disappearing in Car
son Sink. and the Truckee nicer flowing from Lake Tahoe into Pyramid Lake. 'file last is the largest lake in the State and measures 35 miles in length by It) miles in width. Lake Tahoe lies on the western boundary at an alti tude of over 0000 feet. It is 21 miles long and 11 miles wide and of great depth. In the rainy season sonic of the level plains are covered for hundreds of square miles with water from a few inches to two feet deep, leaving in the dry sea son hardened this sometimes covered with a coating of alkaline salts.
CLt:i.yrE. Tht• elin,,,te is very dry and in gen eral pleasant and healthful. The winters are not severe, and smov is confined chiefly to the moun tains, where in some places it remains through out the year. The mean temperature for January is 28', :Ind for ,1oly 71°. The maximum may rise above 110° and the minimum is about 30' below zero, though in the valleys it seldom falls more than 10° below. The winters are generally calm; violent winds are rare at any season. The average annual rainfall is about ten inches. This is very itoevtolv tlistrihnt,d both in regard to season and hnealilv, Five-si‘ths of the total precipitation falls from December to llay. and the greater part of it falls in high altitudes. I he tumult n inou4 pails \Vtshue County receiving 23 incheA, while some valley districts are abso lutely rainless.
For flora and Fauna, see paragraphs oll these tapirs tinder Ce'ICY MOUNTAINS; and errs.
r.vWtoe,y. The mountains of Nevada are orig inally due to extensive fold lags and faultings of the strata during the Jurassic Age, which brought to the surface rocks ranging from the Jurassic down to the AreInean system. Soule are composed of granite, syenite, porphyry, and slate, while in others limestone and calcareous spar predominate. Although sonic recent uplifts in the northwest are still almost unmodified, the topography of the majority of the ranges is prob ably due more to erosion than to the original fractures and folds. The valleys are lilted with deep layers of Quaternary detritus. Volcanic rocks occur as intrusions in various places, and in the northwestern part of the State there are extensive lava fields, while other evidences of volcanic action, such as hot springs and sulphur deposits, also exist.
Resides silver and gohi (see paragraph M in ing ) the minerals found within the State in clude antimony, lead, copper, mercury. and nickel. as well as sulphur, gypsum, and exten sive deposits of salt and borax. the last found on the alkali flats and in beds of dry lakes.