The Great Basin, despite its name, is a mountainous region. It contains hundreds of mountain ranges, including thirty-three that reach a height of more than 10,000 feet.

The San Emidio Desert is an area of major displacement of a fault southwest of Gerlach, Nevada. Geothermal potential in the San Emidio Desert was unknown until the late 1960s, when exploration drilling for sulfur along the east side of the desert encountered hot water. An approximately 4.4 km long zone, presumably the surface expression of a fault, exhibited hydrothermal alteration and the presence of mercury and sulfur, but no surface springs were present. Water in shallow drill hole–1 m below ground surface–had a temperature of 53C.

Wood was essential to development in the nineteenth-century Great Basin. Unfortunately, forests were scarce, particularly when construction needed straight grained pines. Mines required wood for building, to fuel furnaces, and to assemble support systems underground.

Coyotes (Canis latrans) are medium-sized mammals that belong to the dog family (Canidae). Prior to the arrival of European people in North America, coyotes were found only in the central part of the United States and in northern Mexico. However, today coyotes are found from Alaska to Costa Rica and from coast to coast in the United States. The main reason for this population expansion is that coyotes are extremely adaptable and can become accustomed to almost any habitat type.