Week 7- Death Valley Tour

The layers at Badwater are really cool. My first observation is that the layers are really thin and it brings to thought the question of whether this is because of the melting described on the website, or if it is because the magma traveled a relatively far distance, allowing it to thin out. Either way, it's neat!

https://geomaps.wr.usgs.gov/parks/deva/ftbad1.html

Zabriskie Canyon is my next stop. It says these rock "dunes" were formed by water sculpting due to the intense rainfall the area experiences and the lack of soil and vegetation to help absorb it. Silt and clay were deposited here and buried by other sediment, then compressed into mudstone. My question is where did these sediments come from? Are there underlying layers we can use for observation to better understand exactly how these came to be here?

https://geomaps.wr.usgs.gov/parks/deva/ftzab1.html

Thirdly, the Devil's Golf Course. Firstly, how cool is that title?! This area is covered in a thick layer of salt due to mineral-rich water evaporating and leaving the deposits behind. I am really interested in this area and what its history looks like. What are the underlying layers? How long did it take for the current salt layer to form (we'd have to know the evaporation rate of salt water)?

https://geomaps.wr.usgs.gov/parks/deva/ftdev1.html