Map of Mono Lake, California by USGS, 1994: Negit Island, Black Point & Mono Basin
Restored in our London workshop from the original 1997 map and printed to museum-grade archival standards. Full description
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Need delivery to different addresses? Contact us before ordering.The Collector’s Offer
Choose two eligible works and receive 20% off both. Choose three and the lowest-priced one is complimentary, a maximum saving of 33%.
Mix and match eligible standard maps and fine-art prints. No code is required; the offer is applied automatically at checkout.
Standard made-to-order configurations are included. Bespoke sizes, personalised designs and commissioned work are excluded.
Need delivery to different addresses? Contact us before ordering.
Restored in London • Printed and framed in Canada
Restored from the original 1997 map and printed to museum-grade archival standards. Full description
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If you want to add a gift message, or a finish (jigsaw, aluminium board, etc.) that is not available here, please request it in the "order note" when you check out.
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The USGS titled this sheet “Negit Island,” a precise 1:24,000 topographical portrait of Mono Lake and its immediate basin, dated 1994 and...
Continue readingThe USGS titled this sheet “Negit Island,” a precise 1:24,000 topographical portrait of Mono Lake and its immediate basin, dated 1994 and carrying a 1997 imprint. At its center lies one of California’s most singular landscapes: a high-desert saline lake ringed by volcanic forms, mountain slopes, forest margins, and stark open shore. The map’s fine contour work gives shape to the terrain with scientific restraint, translating ridges, benches, valleys, and lake margins into a legible pattern of elevation and relief. Mono Lake dominates the composition, while Negit Island, Black Point, Scenic Point, and the surrounding Mono Basin provide focal landmarks in a region where geology, ecology, and water history converge with unusual force.
The United States Geological Survey brought to this map more than a century of institutional cartographic discipline. Founded in 1879, the USGS became the definitive mapper of American terrain, producing sheets that were both practical tools and enduring records of place. In “Negit Island,” that tradition appears in the balanced language of contour lines, hydrographic detail, land classifications, and named features. The design is characteristically understated, yet rich with information: every curve of elevation and boundary of water conveys the ruggedness of the Mono Basin. Such maps were essential for scientists, land managers, hikers, surveyors, and conservationists, offering a common geographic reference for one of the American West’s most studied lake environments.
Mono Lake itself gives the map much of its drama. An ancient, alkaline, saline lake without an outlet, it is famous for its eerie tufa formations—limestone towers created through the interaction of freshwater springs and mineral-rich lake water. Though tufa is not merely ornamental scenery, it has become one of the defining images of the basin: a visible record of chemistry, hydrology, and fluctuating lake levels. Negit Island, the namesake feature, is volcanic in origin and ecologically important, long associated with nesting bird colonies in the lake’s briny isolation. Nearby Black Point, also volcanic, adds to the region’s austere geological character, while Scenic Point hints at the extraordinary vistas that made Mono Lake a landmark of both science and travel.
The topographic character of the sheet is especially compelling because Mono Lake sits within a basin of abrupt transitions. Flat, exposed shorelands give way to rising ground, forested public lands, and nearby mountain ranges, with contour lines revealing the basin’s enclosing relief. The National Forest areas shown on the map situate the lake within a broader high-country environment shaped by volcanic activity, glaciation, aridity, and snow-fed runoff. The contour pattern records not simply height, but the experience of moving through the landscape: gentle slopes, sharp rises, drainage lines, headlands, and elevated viewpoints. In this sense, the map is both a scientific document and a visual anatomy of the Mono Basin’s rugged western Great Basin setting.
As a mid-1990s record, “Negit Island” also belongs to a significant moment in Mono Lake’s modern history. For decades, water diversions from tributary streams lowered the lake, exposed lakebed, altered shoreline habitats, and threatened the ecological isolation of its islands. By the time of this 1994 mapping, Mono Lake had become a central case in American environmental history, culminating in landmark decisions aimed at restoring lake levels and protecting its fragile ecosystem. The sheet therefore captures more than static geography: it preserves a landscape in transition, where shorelines, land use, vegetation patterns, and infrastructure carried the imprint of human intervention. Its measured contours and named places quietly frame one of California’s great stories of conservation, water, and desert beauty.
Cities, towns and places on this map
- Mono Lake
- Negit Island
- Black Point
- Scenic Point
- Mono Basin
- National Forest Area
- Nearby mountain ranges
Historical context & cartographic details
- Historical 1:24,000 topographical map of Mono Lake, California, and the surrounding area
- Produced by the US Geological Survey (USGS)
- Dated 1994 and published with a 1997 imprint
- Uses contour lines to show elevation changes and terrain relief
- Depicts the rugged terrain around Mono Lake, including mountains, valleys, and varied elevations
- Serves as a mid-1990s snapshot of the Mono Lake region, including natural features, land use, vegetation, and infrastructure at the time
- Shows Mono Lake, a saline lake known for its distinctive tufa formations
Looking for a particular place? Review the detailed images to confirm that the town, landmark or feature you have in mind appears on the map. If you are unsure, ask our workshop to check before you order.
Detailed maps are especially rewarding at larger sizes, where names, boundaries and decorative features have more room to be appreciated. Use the close-up preview and size guide to choose the right scale for your wall.
This map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 50in (125cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please get in touch.
The model in the listing images is holding the 16x20in (40x50cm) version of this map.
Where personalisation is available, you can add a short title or dedication, mark one meaningful place, or request one considered visual detail. See personalised map examples.
Every piece is printed to museum-grade archival standards using fade-resistant pigment inks on acid-free matte paper. Choose an unframed map print, framed map or canvas using the finish options above. Framed maps use crystal-clear optical acrylic and arrive ready to hang.
With its rich detail and strong sense of place, this map makes a considered gift for a new home, anniversary, retirement or anyone with a personal connection to the area shown. Still deciding? Explore our collection of rare old and vintage maps to discover another place, period or style.
This map is also available as a float framed canvas, sometimes known as a shadow gap framed canvas or canvas floater. The map is printed on artist's cotton canvas and then stretched over a handmade box frame. We then "float" the canvas inside a wooden frame, which is available in a range of colours (black, dark brown, oak, antique gold and white). This is a wonderful way to present a map without glazing in front. See some examples of float framed canvas maps and explore the differences between my different finishes.
For something truly unique, this map is also available in "Unique 3D", our trademarked process that dramatically transforms the map so that it has a wonderful sense of depth. We combine the original map with detailed topography and elevation data, so that mountains and the terrain really "pop". For more info and examples of 3D maps, check my Unique 3D page.
The USGS titled this sheet “Negit Island,” a precise 1:24,000 topographical portrait of Mono Lake and its immediate basin, dated 1994 and carrying a 1997 imprint. At its center lies one of California’s most singular landscapes: a high-desert saline lake ringed by volcanic forms, mountain slopes, forest margins, and stark open shore. The map’s fine contour work gives shape to the terrain with scientific restraint, translating ridges, benches, valleys, and lake margins into a legible pattern of elevation and relief. Mono Lake dominates the composition, while Negit Island, Black Point, Scenic Point, and the surrounding Mono Basin provide focal landmarks in a region where geology, ecology, and water history converge with unusual force.
The United States Geological Survey brought to this map more than a century of institutional cartographic discipline. Founded in 1879, the USGS became the definitive mapper of American terrain, producing sheets that were both practical tools and enduring records of place. In “Negit Island,” that tradition appears in the balanced language of contour lines, hydrographic detail, land classifications, and named features. The design is characteristically understated, yet rich with information: every curve of elevation and boundary of water conveys the ruggedness of the Mono Basin. Such maps were essential for scientists, land managers, hikers, surveyors, and conservationists, offering a common geographic reference for one of the American West’s most studied lake environments.
Mono Lake itself gives the map much of its drama. An ancient, alkaline, saline lake without an outlet, it is famous for its eerie tufa formations—limestone towers created through the interaction of freshwater springs and mineral-rich lake water. Though tufa is not merely ornamental scenery, it has become one of the defining images of the basin: a visible record of chemistry, hydrology, and fluctuating lake levels. Negit Island, the namesake feature, is volcanic in origin and ecologically important, long associated with nesting bird colonies in the lake’s briny isolation. Nearby Black Point, also volcanic, adds to the region’s austere geological character, while Scenic Point hints at the extraordinary vistas that made Mono Lake a landmark of both science and travel.
The topographic character of the sheet is especially compelling because Mono Lake sits within a basin of abrupt transitions. Flat, exposed shorelands give way to rising ground, forested public lands, and nearby mountain ranges, with contour lines revealing the basin’s enclosing relief. The National Forest areas shown on the map situate the lake within a broader high-country environment shaped by volcanic activity, glaciation, aridity, and snow-fed runoff. The contour pattern records not simply height, but the experience of moving through the landscape: gentle slopes, sharp rises, drainage lines, headlands, and elevated viewpoints. In this sense, the map is both a scientific document and a visual anatomy of the Mono Basin’s rugged western Great Basin setting.
As a mid-1990s record, “Negit Island” also belongs to a significant moment in Mono Lake’s modern history. For decades, water diversions from tributary streams lowered the lake, exposed lakebed, altered shoreline habitats, and threatened the ecological isolation of its islands. By the time of this 1994 mapping, Mono Lake had become a central case in American environmental history, culminating in landmark decisions aimed at restoring lake levels and protecting its fragile ecosystem. The sheet therefore captures more than static geography: it preserves a landscape in transition, where shorelines, land use, vegetation patterns, and infrastructure carried the imprint of human intervention. Its measured contours and named places quietly frame one of California’s great stories of conservation, water, and desert beauty.
Cities, towns and places on this map
- Mono Lake
- Negit Island
- Black Point
- Scenic Point
- Mono Basin
- National Forest Area
- Nearby mountain ranges
Historical context & cartographic details
- Historical 1:24,000 topographical map of Mono Lake, California, and the surrounding area
- Produced by the US Geological Survey (USGS)
- Dated 1994 and published with a 1997 imprint
- Uses contour lines to show elevation changes and terrain relief
- Depicts the rugged terrain around Mono Lake, including mountains, valleys, and varied elevations
- Serves as a mid-1990s snapshot of the Mono Lake region, including natural features, land use, vegetation, and infrastructure at the time
- Shows Mono Lake, a saline lake known for its distinctive tufa formations
Looking for a particular place? Review the detailed images to confirm that the town, landmark or feature you have in mind appears on the map. If you are unsure, ask our workshop to check before you order.
Detailed maps are especially rewarding at larger sizes, where names, boundaries and decorative features have more room to be appreciated. Use the close-up preview and size guide to choose the right scale for your wall.
This map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 50in (125cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please get in touch.
The model in the listing images is holding the 16x20in (40x50cm) version of this map.
Where personalisation is available, you can add a short title or dedication, mark one meaningful place, or request one considered visual detail. See personalised map examples.
Every piece is printed to museum-grade archival standards using fade-resistant pigment inks on acid-free matte paper. Choose an unframed map print, framed map or canvas using the finish options above. Framed maps use crystal-clear optical acrylic and arrive ready to hang.
With its rich detail and strong sense of place, this map makes a considered gift for a new home, anniversary, retirement or anyone with a personal connection to the area shown. Still deciding? Explore our collection of rare old and vintage maps to discover another place, period or style.
This map is also available as a float framed canvas, sometimes known as a shadow gap framed canvas or canvas floater. The map is printed on artist's cotton canvas and then stretched over a handmade box frame. We then "float" the canvas inside a wooden frame, which is available in a range of colours (black, dark brown, oak, antique gold and white). This is a wonderful way to present a map without glazing in front. See some examples of float framed canvas maps and explore the differences between my different finishes.
For something truly unique, this map is also available in "Unique 3D", our trademarked process that dramatically transforms the map so that it has a wonderful sense of depth. We combine the original map with detailed topography and elevation data, so that mountains and the terrain really "pop". For more info and examples of 3D maps, check my Unique 3D page.
Many of our maps and art prints are chosen as thoughtful gifts for homes, offices, studies and meaningful places.
Choose a framed option for the easiest ready-to-hang gift, or choose an unframed print if the recipient may prefer to select their own frame.
We make orders locally in 23 countries around the world, so gifts can often be produced close to the recipient. This helps them arrive faster, travel more safely, and avoid customs or import duty surprises.
- We can deliver directly to the recipient
- Framed pieces arrive ready to hang
- Unframed prints are carefully packed in a strong protective tube
- Almost every order is made locally, for faster, safer gifting
- 90-day returns give the recipient time to decide
If you are not sure what to choose, please contact us. We can help you pick the right map, size, finish or delivery option.
Most orders are made locally and delivered in around 2–3 working days, depending on the product, size and destination.
We print and frame maps and artwork in 23 countries around the world, so your order is usually made close to you or your recipient. That means faster delivery, less time in transit, and no customs or import duty surprises.
Personalised and customised pieces usually take an extra 1–2 working days, because we prepare your design and send it to you for approval before printing.
Very large framed orders can take a little longer, as they need extra care in production and delivery.
Every order is carefully packaged: unframed prints are sent in a strong protective tube, while framed pieces are securely packed with protective materials around the frame.
If you need your order by a particular date, please contact us before ordering. We’ll check the best production route and delivery option for your location.
Express delivery is available at checkout for most countries. Next-day delivery is available in the UK, US, Singapore and the UAE.
Your order is covered by our 90-day returns policy and 10-year guarantee.
Our standard frame is a gallery-style black ash hardwood frame, with a simple, modern look. It is approximately 20mm (0.8in) wide. You can also view some lovely customer photos of framed maps and art.
We use super-clear acrylic glazing, also known as Perspex or Acrylite, instead of traditional glass. It is lighter, safer, and has lower reflectivity, giving the artwork a clearer, cleaner appearance.
Six standard frame colours are available at no extra cost: black, dark brown, dark grey, oak, white, and antique gold. Custom framing and mounting/matting is also available for customers looking for something more specific.
Most maps, art prints, and illustrations are also available as a framed canvas. We use matte cotton canvas, stretch it over a sustainably sourced wooden box frame, and then float the piece within a wooden outer frame. The finished result is beautifully presented, with no glazing between you and the artwork.
All frames are supplied ready to hang, with either string or brackets fitted to the back. Very large frames will include heavy-duty hanging plates and/or a mounting baton. If you have any questions, please get in touch.
We can also supply old maps and artwork on canvas, foam board, cotton rag, and other materials.
If you would prefer to frame your map or artwork yourself, please read our size guide before ordering.
We work with interior designers, hospitality businesses, property professionals, offices and corporate buyers on individual pieces and larger coordinated projects.
This map can be adapted for a particular wall, room or project, and our workshop can help coordinate the dimensions, material and framing before production.
- Exact, oversized and made-to-measure dimensions
- Custom framing, mounting and alternative materials
- Coordinated pieces for several rooms or locations
- Map personalisation, to mark important locations or add extra details
- Map and framing guidance from our workshop
- Local production for projects around the world
Every Unique Maps piece begins with an authentic cartographic source or an original design from our London studio.
For our historic maps, we source rare originals from libraries, archives, auction houses and private collections around the world. We carefully restore each map for print—repairing age-related damage, balancing colour and improving clarity while preserving its original detail, texture and character.
Once restored, the map is prepared for your chosen size and finish. Your piece is then printed and, where selected, framed close to its delivery destination.
Our map prints use acid-free 200gsm archival matte paper and fade-resistant pigment inks, creating a rich, non-glossy finish designed to last. Framed maps use crystal-clear optical acrylic and arrive ready to hang.
Canvas, cotton-rag and other specialist presentations are also available. Learn more about our materials and finishes.
Personalising your map
You can add a short title or dedication, mark one meaningful place, or request one considered visual detail. For personalised designs, we send a proof before printing and you can request changes before approval.
For more complex bespoke commissions, contact our design team.
Original or Aged
Choose Original for true-to-source colour, or Aged for a warmer, richer antique character created with our specialist ageing process. See examples of our Aged maps.
We’ve been restoring and producing maps and art prints since 1984, and we stand behind every piece.
Every order is covered by our 10-year guarantee and damage-free delivery guarantee. If your piece arrives damaged, we’ll replace or remake it free of charge. If anything else isn’t right, contact our workshop team and we’ll put it right promptly.
See our returns and refund policy for full details.
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