Lake Manix

Lake Manix
Lake Manix
Location	Mojave Desert
Coordinates	35°00′N 116°35′W / 35.000°N 116.583°W / 35.000; -116.583[1]
Type	Pluvial lake
Etymology	After the nearby Manix railway station
Part of	Mojave River system
Primary inflows	Mojave River, local washes
Primary outflows	Mojave River through Afton Canyon, Baxter Wash or Bristol Lake less likely
Surface area	236 square kilometres (91 sq mi)
Max. depth	60 metres (200 ft)
Water volume	1.6–3.2 cubic kilometres (0.38–0.77 cu mi)
Surface elevation	543 metres (1,781 ft) usually
Settlements	Yermo, California, Newberry Springs, California, Yermo, California

Lake Manix is a former lake fed by the Mojave River in the Mojave Desert. It lies within San Bernardino County, California. Located close to Barstow, this lake had the shape of a cloverleaf and covered four basins named Coyote, Cady/Manix, Troy and Afton. It covered a surface area of 236 square kilometres (91 sq mi) and reached an altitude of 543 metres (1,781 ft) at highstands, although poorly recognizable shorelines have been found at altitudes of 547–558 metres (1,795–1,831 ft). The lake was fed by increased runoff during the Pleistocene and overflowed into the Lake Mojave basin and from there to Lake Manly in Death Valley, or less likely into the Bristol Lake basin and from there to the Colorado River.

The lake formed about 500,000 years before present, when the Mojave River left the Victorville area and started to drain into Manix and Lake Harper. The lake did not immediately include the Afton basin; its integration occurred only about 190,000 years ago, most likely due to a catastrophic flood. Lake Manix lasted until 25,000–13,800 years ago, when Afton Canyon formed, either through slow downcutting or a large outburst flood.

The lake supported a rich ecosystem, including birds, fish, mammals and plants. A group of archeological finds in the area have been called, controversially, the "Lake Manix Industry".