The Devils Hole pupfish have been isolated 10,000 to 20,000 years, longer than any other in the Death Valley system. Watch this video of a 'tsunami' in Devils Hole caused by a large earthquake in July 2019! Learn more and see another video in this Scientific American article.Įarlier pluvial (wet) periods allowed colonization of present sites subsequent xeric (dry) conditions served to isolate the aquatic habitats, with the result that the inhabiting organisms have differentiated and evolved into the relict species found today. Waves may spash as high as two meters up the walls, sweeping clean the shallow shelf so important to the pupfish. Large earthquakes as far away as Japan, Indonesia and Chile have caused the water to 'slosh' in Devils Hole like water in a bathtub. Ash Meadows is home to 26 species of endemic plants and animals, including three other endangered fish (two of them pupfish) and seven threatened plants.ĭevils Hole is a window into this vast aquifer and an unusual indicator of seismic activity around the world. Thirty seeps and springs bring to the surface "fossil" water which entered the groundwater system thousands of years ago. The 40 acre (16 ha) unit is a part of the Ash Meadows complex, an area of desert uplands and springfed oases designated a national wildlife refuge in 1984.Īsh Meadows is the discharge point for a groundwater system extending over a hundred miles to the northeast. Scientists routinely monitor the pupfish in Devils Hole.ĭevils Hole-a detached unit of Death Valley National Park-is habitat for the only naturally occurring population of the endangered Devils Hole Pupfish ( Cyprinodon diabolis).
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