Tinaja

{{Short description|Depression landform in bedrock}} [[File:Tinajas.jpg|thumb|Tinajas in Lincoln County, Nevada]] [[File:Flickr_-_ggallice_-_Ernst_tinaja_(2).jpg|thumb|Ernst tinaja, Big Bend National Park, Texas]] [[File:Tenaja_falls_2.jpg|thumb|Tenaja Falls part of Tenaja Canyon Creek, Cleveland National Forest, California, USA - seen from Tenaja Truck Trail]] A '''tinaja''' {{IPA|es|tiˈnaxa|}}, sometimes '''tenaja''', is a surface pocket (depression) formed in bedrock that occurs below waterfalls, that is carved out by spring flow or seepage,<ref>Osterkamp, W. R. 2008. Annotated Definitions of Selected Geomorphic Terms and Related Terms of Hydrology, Sedimentology, Soil Science and Ecology: Reston, Virginia, Open File Report 2008-1217, pp 49</ref> or that is caused by sand and gravel scouring in intermittent streams (arroyos).<ref name="Fox">{{Cite book|author=Fox, William|year=2005|title=Desert Water|location=Portland, Oregon|publisher=Graphic Arts Center Publishing Company|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=L2huBuA4THAC&pg=PT12 12]|isbn=978-1-55868-858-2}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|author=Mabbutt, J. A.|year=1977|title=Desert Landforms|location=Canberra|publisher=Australian National University Press|page=182|isbn=978-0-7081-0437-8}}</ref> The term usually implies a natural or geologic cistern in rock which retains water. They are often created by erosional processes within intermittent streams.

Tinajas are an important source of surface water storage in arid environments.<ref name="Fox" /><ref>Brown, T. B. and R. R. Johnson. 1983. The distribution of bedrock depressions (tinajas) as sources of surface water in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Arizona. Journal of the Arizona-Nevada Academy of Science 18: 61-68.</ref>

These relatively rare landforms are important ecologically, because they support unique plant communities and provide important services to terrestrial wildlife.<ref>National Park Service (NPS). 2006. [https://www.nps.gov/orpi/learn/nature/orpi-ecological-monitoring-report.htm Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument Ecological Monitoring Report], 1997–2005, Chapter 14: Water Quality.https://www.nps.gov/orpi/learn/nature/orpi-ecological-monitoring-report.htm</ref>

== Etymology == From the Spanish ''tinaja:'' a clay pot or earthenware jar,<ref>{{cite web |title=Check out the translation for "tinaja" on SpanishDict! |url=https://www.spanishdict.com/translate/tinaja |access-date=2021-05-08 |website=SpanishDict |language=en}}</ref> and is used in the American Southwest.

==United States== Before European settlers came to America, tenajas were a valuable source of water for early Native Americans traveling in the desert areas of the Southwest. Today, tenajas are an integral part of sustaining life in the arid Southwest. For example, tenajas at the Santa Rosa Plateau in southern California allow western pond turtles, California newts and red-legged frogs to survive through dry summer months.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |url=http://www.riversidecountyparks.org/locations/nature-historic-centers/santa-rosa-plateau/plateau-reserve-features/plants/ |title=Plants {{!}} RiversideCountyParks.org |website=www.riversidecountyparks.org |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090508143053/http://www.riversidecountyparks.org/locations/nature-historic-centers/santa-rosa-plateau/plateau-reserve-features/plants/ |archive-date=2009-05-08}}</ref>

During prolonged dry spells, deep tinajas may trap desert animals who cannot climb out due to the smooth walls.<ref name=":1">{{cite web|title=Ernst Tinaja (U.S. National Park Service)|url=https://www.nps.gov/places/ernst-tinaja.htm|access-date=2021-05-08|website=www.nps.gov|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{cite web|title=Ernst Tinaja, Big Bend National Park.|url=http://www.texasescapes.com/MikeCoxTexasTales/Ernst-Tinaja.htm|access-date=2021-05-08|website=www.texasescapes.com}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{cite web|title=Big Bend Virtual Field Trip - Ernst Tinaja|url=https://prism-redfern.org/bbvirtualtrip/ernst/ernst.html|access-date=2021-05-08|website=prism-redfern.org}}</ref>

== Examples == * The Tinajas Altas ("high tinajas") in southern Arizona. * Several in El Pinacate y Gran Desierto de Altar Biosphere Reserve, Sonora, Mexico. *Las Tinajas de Los Indios, California *Las Tinajas, Zinapécuaro, Mexico * San Estaban Dam on Alamito Creek at the tinaja in Presidio County, Texas * Seven Sacred Pools, Sedona, Arizona * Tenaja Canyon Creek, Cleveland National Forest, California, USA<ref>{{cite web|title=GNIS Detail - Tenaja Canyon|url=https://geonames.usgs.gov/apex/f?p=GNISPQ:3:::NO::P3_FID:250334|access-date=2021-05-08|website=geonames.usgs.gov}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fs.usda.gov/r05/cleveland/recreation |title=Cleveland National Forest - San Mateo Canyon Trail (5W05) |publisher=Fs.usda.gov |date= |access-date=2022-09-17}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Tenaja Canyon|url=https://modernhiker.com/hike/tenaja-canyon/|access-date=2021-05-08|website=Modern Hiker|date=19 March 2018 |language=en-US}}</ref> * Ernst Tinaja, Big Bend National Park, Texas, USA<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" /> * Santa Rosa Plateau Wildlife Area, Riverside County, California, USA<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{cite web|title=SANTA ROSA PLATEAU WILDLIFE AREA|url=https://www.rivcoparks.org/santa-rosa-plateau-wildlife-area|access-date=2021-05-08|website=RivCoParks|language=en}}</ref>

==References== <references />

==External links== {{Wiktionary-inline}}

Category:Geomorphology Category:Southwestern United States Category:Water streams Category:Fluvial landforms Category:Habitats Category:Plant communities of the West Coast of the United States Category:Hydrology