CALIFORNIA

Salt Deposits @ Badwater Basin, Death Valley

In my previous posts about Death Valley National Park, I covered The Northern Death Valley, The Mosaic Canyon, and the exciting Mesquite Sand Dunes. However, Death Valley is such a huge park, that I still have not shared its other amazing features. As what I mentioned in my previous posts, Death Valley is a geological wonderland of exposed multicolored rocks and layers of earth. The Badwater, however, does not showcase the exposed Earth, but rather what happens to all the surface water that sinks into the lowest point of North America and the second lowest in Northern Hemisphere.

Salt and Reflections

Because of the rapid moisture evaporation that occurs at the valley, the Badwater Basin brings a great salt pan comprised of the residue from the evaporation of water trapped in this lowest point. The sparkling white flat is due to sodium chloride, the table salt most people associate salt with. However, the salt deposits in Badwater are nearly 9000 ft deep, and not all are table salt, or sodium chloride. However, sodium chloride is the most soluble among the other salts that are dissolved in water, therefore it is evaporated last and formed the upper layer of the salt pan.

Below the sodium chloride layer are sulfate salts and carbonate salts.

A point in Badwater Basin lies 282 feet below sea level, the lowest point in North America and in the Western Hemisphere ( http://www.britannica.com/eb/topic-1086757/Badwater-Basin). Less than 20 miles west of Badwater Basin is the Telescope Peak, at 11,049 ft, the highest point within Death Valley National Park.

An interesting twist of nature, the lowest point in the western hemisphere (Badwater Basin) and the highest peak in contiguous US (Mt. Whitney) are less than 100 miles apart in Inyo County, California. This contrasting geography is brought about by the same stretching forces of the earth’s crust.

Again, Death Valley is an amazing place, it really is something to see at least even once in your life. Contrary to its name, the desert actually host a very fragile ecosystem, it is filled with living wonders, but to make your stay pleasant, only do come from late fall to early spring, since summer’s temperature is only for those who are prepared to brave the heat. And do not under-estimate the temperature of Death Valley in winter, you may think it is the hottest place in America, but it is only true in the summer. The winter temperature can drop to the tens during winter.

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