Cinnamon Sugar
At least that's what my 12-year old daughter thought it looked like.
It's salt, and lots of it. This is Badwater Basin in Death Valley National Park, the lowest point in North America and second lowest point in the Western Hemisphere. Though it does see rain from time to time, the 1.9" average annual rainfall falls far short of the 150" annual evaporation rate. As a result, whatever water does accumulate in the basin quickly evaporates off leaving only salt and minerals behind.
Visiting in winter, the basin is quite temperate, even cool after dark; however, during the summer this can be a deadly place with extended periods of time with daytime temperatures well above 100°F. The hottest ground surface temperature ever recorded at nearby Furnace Creek was 201.0°F - the only surface temperature ever recorded above 200°F on earth.
Death Valley is a diverse and magnificent place to visit. Go when the climate is right and you will be rewarded with some amazing sights, great opportunities to explore and wonderful memories.
Select Fine Art prints of this and other images can be purchased at bit.ly/ProPeak
Cinnamon Sugar
At least that's what my 12-year old daughter thought it looked like.
It's salt, and lots of it. This is Badwater Basin in Death Valley National Park, the lowest point in North America and second lowest point in the Western Hemisphere. Though it does see rain from time to time, the 1.9" average annual rainfall falls far short of the 150" annual evaporation rate. As a result, whatever water does accumulate in the basin quickly evaporates off leaving only salt and minerals behind.
Visiting in winter, the basin is quite temperate, even cool after dark; however, during the summer this can be a deadly place with extended periods of time with daytime temperatures well above 100°F. The hottest ground surface temperature ever recorded at nearby Furnace Creek was 201.0°F - the only surface temperature ever recorded above 200°F on earth.
Death Valley is a diverse and magnificent place to visit. Go when the climate is right and you will be rewarded with some amazing sights, great opportunities to explore and wonderful memories.
Select Fine Art prints of this and other images can be purchased at bit.ly/ProPeak