WNC professor determines Lake Tahoe is world’s third-oldest freshwater lake

Before considerable scientific research by Winnie Kortemeier, Western Nevada College professor of geosciences, it was understood that Lake Tahoe, the largest alpine lake in North America, was created during the Pleistocene era, also known as the Ice Age, roughly 10,000 to 2.6 million years ago.

Through her radiometric dating of rocks and examining the basalt that has interacted with the water of Lake Tahoe, Kortemeier has determined that the lake is 2.3 million years old.

As a result, Kortemeier has concluded that Lake Tahoe is North America’s oldest freshwater, permanent lake — and the third oldest in the world.

Kortemeier will present her findings at the Geological Society of America’s annual meeting on Monday at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, Calif.

A summary of her findings can be viewed at https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2024AM/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/405032.

Kortemeier has been conducting research at Lake Tahoe since 2005 and received her doctorate degree in geology from the University of Nevada, Reno in 2012. In her doctorate program at UNR, she focused on the Pleistocene volcanism and shifting shorelines at Lake Tahoe.

There still is time to register for Kortemeier's Geology 105 National Parks class, which starts Oct. 7. Learn more about the geology of U.S. national parks, including Great Basin National Park in Nevada.

The class meets on Wednesdays from 1-3:45 p.m. Online and in-person options are available. For information, call 775-445-3267.