This graben was formed by a long series of earthquakes , such as the 1872 Lone Pine earthquake , that have moved the graben down and helped move the Sierra Nevada up . The graben is much larger than the depth of the valley suggests ; gravity studies suggest that of sedimentary rock mostly fills the graben and that a very steep escarpment is buried under the western length of the valley . The topmost part of this escarpment is exposed at Alabama Hills
1872 Lone Pine earthquake
1872 Lone Pine earthquake
Owens Valley