Third-day trip 2 road log, geomorphic and hydrologic response in Estancia Basin to late Pleistocene and Holocene climate change
— Roger Y. Anderson and Bruce D. Allen

Pluvial Lake Estancia, in Estancia basin, responded dramatically and quickly to the extreme perturbations in climate that preceded and accompanied the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Highstand-shorelines of the LGM are preserved as beaches, spits, and shoreline deposits around the basin margin. In the center of the basin, lake sediments document a change in salinity and lake level for virtually every century-scale shift in climate recognized in Greenland ice. The final pulse of glacial climate is preserved as a continuous, undissected beach ridge that extends for 19 mi. During the dry middle Holocene, winds cut nearly 100 playa basins into the old lake floor, forming lunettes higher than 100 ft. The route described in this guide, as noted in the road log, visits or passes these geomorphic, paleohydrologic, and geologic features. The log also gives brief summaries (bordered-text items) of key concepts or results of investigations carried out in Estancia basin. More information about the hydrology of Estancia basin can be found in Shafike and Flanigan (this volume).