Home > Death Valley National Park
Death Valley National Park is a mostly arid national park in the United States. Part of the Basin and RangeThe Basin and Range Province is a particular type of topography that extends east from the Sierra Nevada all the way to the Colorado Plateau, in the states of Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, and Utah in the southwestern United State it is located east of the Sierra Nevada mountain rangeThe Sierra Nevada is a mountain range that is mostly in eastern California. The range is also known as The Sierra . Geography The Sierra Nevada stretches 400 miles (650km), from Fredonyer Pass in the North to Tehachapi Pass in the South. The Sierra Nevada in Inyo County, CaliforniaInyo County is a county located in east-central California, on the east side of the Sierra Nevada south of Yosemite National Park. As of 2000 the county had a population of 17,945. The county seat is Independence. Mount Whitney, the highest peak in the lo with the Devil's Hole portion extending somewhat into NevadaNevada is a state located in the western United States. The population, as of 2000, is 1,998,257. Nevada is the fastest growing state in the country. Between 2000 and 2003, Nevada's population increased 12. 2%, while the USA's population increased 3. near the Ash Meadows National Wildlife Preserve . The park covers 5,219 miē ( 13,518 kmēTo help compare orders of magnitude of different geographical regions, we list here areas between 10,000 kmē and 100,000 kmē. See also areas of other orders of magnitude. Areas smaller than 10,000 kmē 10,000 kmē is equal to: 3,863 square miles 1,000,000 h).
1 Geographic setting
Within the park there are two major valleys; Death Valley and Panamint Valley - both of which where formed within the last few million years and both bounded by north-south trending mountain ranges. These and adjacent valleys follow the general trend of Basin and RangeThe Basin and Range Province is a particular type of topography that extends east from the Sierra Nevada all the way to the Colorado Plateau, in the states of Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, and Utah in the southwestern United State topography with one modification: there are parallel strike-slip fault s that perpendicularly bound the central extent of Death Valley. The result of this shearing action is additional extension in the central part of Death Valley which causes a slight widening and relatively more subsidence there.
Uplift of surrounding mountain ranges is concurrent with valley floor subsidence. The uplift on the Black Mountains is so fast that the alluvial fanAn alluvial fan is a fan-shaped deposit where a fast flowing stream flattens, slows, and spreads, typically at the exit of a canyon onto a flatter plain. Owing to the slowing of flow any solid material carried by the water is dropped. As this reduces thes there are relatively small and steep compared to the huge alluvial fans coming off of the Panamint Mountains. In many places so-called "wine glass canyons" are formed along the Black Mountains front as a result. This type of canyon results from the relatively fast uplift on this mountain range doesn't allow the canyons enough time to cut a classic v-shape all the way down to the streamThe primary meaning of stream is a body of water, confined within a bed and banks and having a detectable current. Stream is the umbrella term used in the scientific community for all flowing natural waters. For other meanings of the word stream see Strea bed. Instead a v-shape ends at a slot canyon half way down with a relatively small and steep alluvial fan for the stream sediments to collect on. These particular features form what looks like a wine glass from a distance.
The highest range in the park is the Panamint Mountains with Telescope Peak being its highest point at 11,049 feet (3368 m). Death Valley is part of the Mojave Desert and is five mountain ranges removed from the Pacific Ocean. The resulting exaggerated rainshadow effect makes it North America's driest spot, receiving about 1.5 inches (50 mm) of rainfall annually.
At 282 feet (86 m) below sea level, Badwater on Death Valley's floor is the lowest point in North America, while Mount Whitney only 85 miles (140 km) to the west rises to 14,490 feet (4,263 m). This is the greatest dryland topographic relief in the contiguous United States and is the terminus point of the Great Basin's southwestern drainage. Although the extreme lack of water in the Great Basin makes this distinction of little current practical use, it does mean that in wetter times the lake that once filled Death Valley ( Lake Manly) was the last stop for water flowing in the region, meaning the water there was relatively saturated in dissolved materials. Thus salt pans in Death Valley are are among the largest in the world and are rich in minerals, such as borax and various salts and hydrates. The largest salt pan in the park extends 40 miles (65 km) from the Ashford Mill Site to the Salt Creek Hills (Badwater, the Devils Golf Course and Salt Creek are all part of this feature). The second most well-known playa in the park is the Racetract, famous for its moving rocks.
Death Valley is one of the hottest places in North America and on July 10, 1913 a record 134 °F (~56.7 °C) was measured at Badwater (as of as of 2004 this is the highest temperature ever recorded on that continent). Daily summer temperatures of 120 ° F (49 ° C) or greater are common as well as below freezing nightly temperatures in the winter.
- See aso: Places of interest in the Death and Panamint valleys area
