Badwater Basin at Death Valley National Park is famous for the fact it is one of the hottest (It was 85 degrees F this day) and lowest places on earth. The salt flats are a result of any standing water in the basin evaporating and leaving the salt deposits behind. I caught these images last week after a sand storm blew through the valley but parted right around sunset.
Badwater Basin at Death Valley National Park, is a landscape of extremes. Extreme temperatures, extreme elevation changes and extreme dryness. Because the basin is at an elevation of 282 feet below sea level, the average high temperature in July is 116 degrees F. The highest temperature ever recorded on Earth was 134 degrees at Death Valley in 1913. Little wonder that I and most others visit during the winter months.
Badwater is surrounded by soaring peaks and eroded sandstone formations. Snow-covered Telescope Peak, standing at 11,049 feet, is quite a contrast to the salt flats at Badwater Basin. The salt flats are approximately 200 square miles in area and are formed when rain flushes minerals from the nearby hills and mountains to the flats of Badwater. The high heat and dryness ( DV only receives 2 inches of moisture annually) evaporates everything except the salt.
As Death Valley has come to life this winter with its large floral display, Badwater Basin is where the flowers don’t flourish. Badwater Basin is probably where Death Valley got its name. Nothing lives there. These salt flats cover some 200 square miles and provide little hope for life. The salt is a result of the hot and arid climate in the park that evaporates any moisture, leaving only the salt behind. At 282 feet below sea level, Badwater is the lowest point in North America, thus creating extremes in temperatures and dryness.
