Great Basin Desert Coordinates: 35°–42°N, 112°–120°W
The **Great Basin Desert** (ecological definition) occupies this approximate latitude/longitude envelope:
Bounding Box
| Limit | Coordinate | Feature |
|---|
| **North** | 42°N | Oregon/Idaho border (Basin & Range transition to Columbia Plateau) |
| **South | 35°N | Mojave Desert boundary (creosote bush line, ~37°N transition zone) |
| **West** | 120°W | Sierra Nevada crest (rain shadow edge) |
| **East** | 112°W | Wasatch Front / Colorado Plateau escarpment |
Center Point
~**39.5°N, 116°W** – Near **Eureka, NV** (geographic center of Nevada, heart of Basin).
Key Reference Points Within
| Feature | Lat / Long |
|---|
| Great Basin NP (Wheeler Peak) | 39.0°N, 114.3°W |
| Great Salt Lake (center) | 41.2°N, 112.5°W |
| Pyramid Lake | 40.0°N, 119.5°W |
| Black Rock Desert | 40.8°N, 119.1°W |
| Death Valley (Badwater) * | 36.5°N, 117.0°W |
| Mono Lake | 38.0°N, 119.0°W |
| Lake Abert (OR) | 42.5°N, 120.3°W |
*Death Valley is often classified as **northern Mojave**, but included in some Great Basin Desert definitions.
GIS Use
For spatial queries: **`ST_MakeEnvelope(-120, 35, -112, 42, 4326)`** (WGS84). Buffer ±1° for transition zones.
These coordinates frame the **cold desert**—not the hydrographic basin (which extends further north/east via Bear River).
Wanderlust World