One stop I would be sure to take at Death Valley National Park in California is the salt flats. The salt flats are in Badwater Basin which is the lowest point in North America at 282 feet below sea level (National Park Service, 2019). Water accumulates in this area forming temporary lakes. These lakes evaporate in the arid climate leaving a new layer of salt every time. The basin lies beneath sea level because strike-slip faulting which leaves uplifted ranges and dropped basins such as Badwater Basin (National Park Service, 2015). Though there are minerals, most of the salt flats consist of regular salt. Since Salt expands, strange formations exist in the salt flats as can be seen below (National Park Service, 2015).
This picture seems to be of a salt or mineral enclosed water or area. I am very curious as to what this is called and the process of its formation. Though this picture was found on Google Maps at Badwater Basin, I can’t find any information about it or these types of formations online. The first thing I need to do is find out what these formations are called. Then I would research the forming process of them. To finish, I would need to understand the geology of the area to make exact determinations of the forming of this unique crystallization. A geologic map of the Basin would be helpful for this process.
References
National Park Service. (2019, June 7). Badwater Basin (U.S. National Park Service). Retrieved June 18, 2020, from https://www.nps.gov/places/badwater-basin.htm
National Park Service. (2015, February 28). Faults. Retrieved June 18, 2020, from https://www.nps.gov/deva/learn/nature/faults.htm
National Park Service. (2015, February 28). Salt Flats. Retrieved June 18, 2020, from https://www.nps.gov/deva/learn/nature/salt-flats.htm
Pictures Retrieved From: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Badwater+Basin/@36.2340512,-116.8863299,12z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x80c7222155d82ba3:0x7c19ca2caa3f71e6!8m2!3d36.2460841!4d-116.8185076?hl=en-US
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