Week 7 - Death Valley

Death Valley

Devils golf course

Jagged salt pinnacles created from erosion by rain and wind.https://geomaps.wr.usgs.gov/parks/deva/ftdev1.html

Devils golf course is unique because it contains the salty remnants of an ancient ocean that once covered the area. Salt crystals form after rain water evaporates and the sound of the salt crystals can be heard popping in the hot desert heat. Erosion from rain and wind have formed many fascinating ice crystals such as the one pictured above. I wonder if the ocean was around long enough to have formed any sort of sedimentary rock below the salty crust.

Golden Canyon

View of the valley and the Panamint Mountains.
http://www.marlimillerphoto.com/Dep-19a.html

Golden canyon shows the opening of death valley and you can really get a sense of how big death valley is when you look across the valley towards the Panamint Mountains. it is interesting to know that the canyon is 160 feet below sea level. You can sea evidence of flooding by the mixture of deposited rock at the mouth of the canyon. I wonder how quickly this area would flood if it began to rain heavily for a few weeks.

Titus Canyon

Titus Canyon from ground level.
https://www.reviewjournal.com/entertainment/entertainment-columns/trip-of-the-week/titus-canyon-an-awe-inspiring-route-to-death-valley/

Titus canyon interests me because of how this area is thought to have been formed. About 570 million years ago, the limestone that lines the canyon was formed from an ancient Cambrian age sea. The region was at the equator before it had been uplifted into the North American plate. It is interesting to see the layers of limestone in the mountain range.


References:
https://geomaps.wr.usgs.gov/parks/deva/devaft.html