Rogers Dry Lake

Rogers Dry Lake
Rogers (center) and Rosamond (lower left) dry lakebeds in Mojave Desert, California
Location	Mojave Desert Kern County, California Los Angeles County, California
Coordinates	34°55′19″N 117°49′39″W / 34.921944°N 117.8275°W
Lake type	Endorheic basin
Basin countries	United States
Max. length	19 km (12 mi)
Max. width	11 km (6.8 mi)
Surface area	112 km^2 (43 sq mi)
Shore length^1	61 km (38 mi)
Surface elevation	694 m (2,277 ft)
Settlements	Edwards Air Force Base
References	U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Rogers Dry Lake
Rogers Dry Lake Edwards Air Force Base
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark
Location	Mojave Desert Kern County, California
Coordinates	34°55′19″N 117°49′39″W / 34.92194°N 117.82750°WCoordinates: 34°55′19″N 117°49′39″W / 34.92194°N 117.82750°W
Built	1933[1]
NRHP Reference #	85002816[2]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	03 October 1985
Designated NHL	03 October 1985[3]
^1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Rogers Dry Lake is an endorheic desert salt pan in the Mojave Desert of Kern County, California. The lake derives its name from the Anglicization from the Spanish name, Rodriguez Dry Lake.^[4] It is the central part of Edwards Air Force Base as its hard surface provides a natural extension to the paved runways. It was formerly known as Muroc Dry Lake.

Geology

During the extremely brief rainy season, it is possible for there to be standing water on the lakebed, which pools at the approximate low-point elevation of 2,300 ft for the region. The lake is adjacent to the smaller Rosamond Lake which through the Holocene, together made up one large water-body.^[5]

Edwards Air Force Base

Many of the notable aeronautical achievements at Edwards have taken place at Rogers Lake. It is also famous for the world's largest compass rose painted into the lake. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1985.^[3]

• 04/22 in addition to its paved component of 15,000 ft (4,600 m) has an extra 9,000 ft (2,700 m) of lakebed runway

There are seven other official runways on the Rogers lakebed:

• 17/35 is 7.5 mi (12.1 km) (primary runway)
• 05/23 is 5.2 mi (8.4 km)
• 06/24 is 1.4 mi (2.3 km)
• 07/25 is 4.0 mi (6.4 km)
• 09/27 is 2.0 mi (3.2 km)
• 30 is 2.0 mi (3.2 km) (runway 30 rolls out onto the compass rose, so its corresponding, unmarked, runway 12 is never used)
• 15/33 is 6.2 mi (10.0 km)
• 18/36 is 4.5 mi (7.2 km)

See also

• Edwards Air Force Base
• List of lakes in California

References

1. Johnstone, Robert (January 16, 1986). "Muroc (Rogers) Dry Lake" (pdf). National Register of Historic Places - Inventory Nomination Form. National Park Service. Retrieved 20 May 2012.
2. Staff (2008-04-15). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
3. NHL Summary
4. Public Affairs (25 July 2006). "About Edwards: History: The Dry Lake Beds". Edwards Air Force Base. Archived from the original on 2006-12-07. Retrieved 2009-09-10.
5. Reheis, Marith C.; Hershler, Robert; Miller, David M. (2008). Late Cenozoic Drainage History of the Southwestern Great Basin and Lower Colorado River Region: Geologic and Biotic Perspectives. Boulder, Colorado: Geological Society of America. pp. 273–275. ISBN 978-0-8137-2439-3. Retrieved 2009-09-05.

External links

• official Edwards Air Force Base website