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As we look out at Lake Tahoe we have an opportunity consider how Lake Tahoe was created and how the lake got its name.

Geologists believe the basin was formed about 10 million years ago when the Sierra Nevada and Carson Ranges lifted and the land between them sank.

Glaciers came and went leaving behind what would become Emerald Bay and Fallen Leaf and Cascade lakes. The Truckee River formed to drain the basin. Then, about 2 million years ago, Mt. Pluto, a volcano located where Northstar Ski Resort is today, erupted.

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Debris from the eruption blocked the river's northward flow out of the basin. The basin filled to a depth about 600 feet higher than it is today and formed the lake. When the lake reached the top of the debris dam it began to overflow and eventually eroded the Truckee River canyon and lowered the lake to its current normal elevation of approximately 6,224 feet above sea level.

To give the size of the pre-erosion lake some perspective, consider th