Manly Beacon – Death Valley
There is a lot of history in the Badlands and how they came to formation. The area used to be covered in water giving much of the area its’ unique appearance. As the climate changed and the pacific plate crashed into the North American plate it caused the landscape to tilt. Because this place was a rich prehistoric lake, what type of fossils exists here? How does this place compe to other lakes in unqiue life that visited this location? Also, today there is relatively no vegitation/life here, what would it take to bring life back to this area in a lush fashion? If possible would the removal of the violent drought and flood seasons change the landscape an area that could house more and increase the flourishment of life?
Badwater Basin is surrounded by black mountains and sits -282 feet below sea level making it the lowest place in North America. The basin looks to go on forever and a short stretch of the salts have been flattened out to a smooth level ground for tourist. The basin looks a lot smoother than at the Devils Golf Course leading that it could receive more water on average. How much water does the basin receive annually? If this is increased or decreased, what would it do to the basin and the surrouding environment?
The salt formations at the Devils Golf Course look very fragile and amazing at the same time. It looks like water rarely touches these flats as the build up looks very rigid and delicate. It is said that when there is no other sounds the tiny pops and pings of bursting salt crystals encompass the sounds. What is causing the pops and pings, is it moisture causing in the flats or carried in the air? How long will these flats remain? How much water would be needed to liquidate the build up again? Is this build up soemthing we could see elsewhere that doesn’t currently have the same conditions, like Salt Lake City?
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