Saturday, December 14, 2019

The Salt Flats of Death Valley

I went on a rather spontaneous trip to Death Valley. I had no idea what to expect. One stop on my journey was to the Salt Flats. The flats were located in Badwater Basin and covered nearly 200 square miles!



One of my first observations was that the atmosphere was very dry. This made me wonder how important the dry atmosphere is to the formation of the Salt Flats. Would the salt flats be able to form in more humid conditions?

Another observation was THE SALT. What did the salt come from? I assume it was from a salty water source. Where was this saltwater source and how did it get into this 200 square mile spread of flat land?

Another observation is the sheer size of the flatlands. This made me ask - why are there no mountains or hills in this part of Death Valley? How did flooding or erosion help form the flatlands?

https://www.nps.gov/deva/learn/nature/salt-flats.htm

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