Week 7 - Death Valley

First stop on my visit to Death Valley is the Devil’s Golf course. I have always been very fascinated with the crystallization of salt. Salt crystalize when water becomes supersaturated with salt, and then the salt in the water starts to cling onto something. When I would do experiments as a child with crystallization of salt the process was relatively fast. Crystallization would start within a few days and grow larger in a matter of weeks. This raises a few questions I have about the Devils Gold course. I would assume that the crystallization of the pinnacles is formed relatively in the same manner. The rain meets the valley floor that is comprised of a lot of salt, and the water becomes supersaturated. Then supersaturated water is pulled upwards, and then evaporates. It is stated that the pinnacles grow very slowly. Is this due to the lack of rain or is the slow growth due to the weathering. Rain would dissolve the pinnacles, but without it they wouldn’t form. So, it’s kind of an interesting thought behind it. Also, it would be interesting to know what the largest pinnacle on record is. If they do keep a record of the size of the pinnacles.    

Next stop is down to Badwater. Badwater looks like someone filled the valley floor with cement and forgot to smooth it out. Badwater’s salty crust is anywhere from three to five feet thick. When it rains the water floods in bottom of the valley and creates a temporary salt lake that quickly evaporates. The area averages about 1.9 inches of rainfall a year. However, the area’s evaporation rate is much higher at 150 inches annually. This raises a very odd question for me. When it rains the water from the valley walls will carry sediment down to the valley floor. This can range from large sediment to very fine small sediment, but when it reaches the valley floor it would settle at the bottom of the lake that is formed. In the case of Badwater the lake is temporary, but the concept is the same. With the crust of salt being so think wouldn’t it take a lot of water to fully dissolve? If you take a core sample would you be able to visible see a layer of sediment between the salt, or is there enough rain annually to fully dissolve the crust of salt.?

Last stop of the trip is Ubehebe Crater. This stop is a very interesting one for me. The first thing that comes to mind when I imagine a volcanic eruption is fiery lava, and not a massive steam explosion. Ubehebe Crater was formed by a hydro-volcanic eruption. A hydro-volcanic eruption is caused when magma comes in contact with bedrock that is saturated with water. The water is instantly turned into steam and the force of the conversion causes an explosion. I can understand the concept of how the explosion happens. However, it raises a question I have not related to the area. How come this type of eruption does not occur in the ocean?