DEATH VALLEY (Day 10 - part 2)

During a flood, the rushing water collects minerals from the surrounding rocks. When the flood comes to rest here, it forms a temporary lake. The minerals are left to concentrate as the water evaporates. After thousands of years, this produces layer upon layer of crust.

This geographic region, known as "Basin and Range", is spreading apart. It's the dropping side of a fault block which is rising on the other side to create the Panamint Mountains (in the distance). Behind it (seen in the corner on the right), is the other edge of the rising fault block, creating the Black Mountains, the southernmost section of the Amargosa Range. Even though debris from surrounding erosion washes into the area, the basin is dropping faster than it fills. After millions of floods, nearly 9,000 feet of sand, silt, gravel and salt fill the valley basin.

The basin gets its name when a surveyor mapping this area could not get his mule to drink from this pool. The water isn't actually bad (as in poisonous), just super salty. The water comes from an ancient underground spring. Much of it began as ice and snow hundreds of miles away but emerged here at the fault line.

Unfortunately the pool has been badly damaged by tourists walking over its salt crust and throwing debris into the water.

Heading out into the salt flats

Damage done by tourists

Someone even dug a hole, revealing water just below the surfact

Heading back toward the Black Mountains

This is the sea level mark for the world's oceans.

We headed back up the valley to catch the sites we'd missed. The day was starting to warm up.

The Black Mountains

The Devil's Golf Course gets its name from the phrase "Only the devil could play golf on such rough links". Deposited by ancient lakes from recurring floods, the crystallized salts compose jagged formations. It's one of the largest saltpans in North America.

Turning off toward the Devil's Golf Course

Sharp and crusty!

Yup, definitely tasted salty!

Heading back to the main road

Continuing our drive back up the valley...

The Oasis again

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