| Badwater Basin | |
|---|---|
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| Location | Death Valley Inyo County, California |
| Coordinates | 36°14′24″N 116°49′54″W / 36.23998°N 116.83171°WCoordinates: 36°14′24″N 116°49′54″W / 36.23998°N 116.83171°W |
| Lake type | Endorheic basin |
| Primary inflows | Amargosa River |
| Primary outflows | Terminal (evaporation) |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Max. length | 12 km (7.5 mi) |
| Max. width | 8 km (5.0 mi) |
| Surface elevation | -86 m (−282 ft) |
| Settlements | Badwater, California |
| References | U.S. Geological Survey Geographical Names Information System: Badwater Basin |
Badwater Basin is an endorheic basin in Death Valley, Inyo County, California, noted as the lowest point in North America, with an elevation of 282 ft (86 m) below sea level. Mount Whitney, the highest point in the contiguous 48 states, is only 76 miles to the west.
The site itself consists of a small spring-fed pool of "bad water" next to the road; the accumulated salts of the surrounding basin make it undrinkable, thus giving it the name. The pool does have animal and plant life, including pickleweed, aquatic insects, and the Badwater snail.
Adjacent to the pool, where water is not always present at the surface, repeated freeze–thaw and evaporation cycles gradually push the thin salt crust into hexagonal honeycomb shapes.
The pool itself is not actually the lowest point of the basin: the lowest point (which is only slightly lower) is several miles to the west and varies in position. However, the salt flats are hazardous to traverse (in many cases being only a thin white crust over mud), and so the sign is at the pool. It is often mistakenly described as the lowest elevation in the Western Hemisphere, but that is actually Laguna del Carbón in Argentina at −105 meters (−344 feet).
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At Badwater, significant rainstorms flood the valley bottom periodically, covering the salt pan with a thin sheet of standing water. Each newly-formed lake does not last long though, because the 1.9 inches (48 mm) of average rainfall is overwhelmed by a 150-inch annual evaporation rate. This, the United States' greatest evaporation potential, means that even a 12-foot-deep, 30-mile-long lake would dry up in a single year. While the basin is flooded, some of the salt is dissolved; it is redeposited as clean crystals when the water evaporates.[1]
Painted on the cliff above Badwater is a sign that denotes "Sea Level".[2] The sign is popular with tourists.[3]
During the Holocene, when the regional climate was less dry, streams running from nearby mountains gradually filled Death Valley to a depth of almost 30 feet (10m), and together with Cotton Bail Marsh and Middle Basin, made up the 80 mi (130 km) long, Lake Manly.[4] Some of the minerals left behind by earlier Death Valley lakes dissolved in the shallow water, creating a briny solution.
The wet times did not last as the climate warmed and rainfall declined. The lake began to dry up and minerals dissolved in the lake became increasingly concentrated as water evaporated. Eventually, only a briny soup remained, forming salty pools on the lowest parts of Death Valley's floor. Salts (95% table salt - NaCl) began to crystallize, coating the surface with a thick crust from three inches to five feet thick (1-1.7m).[1]
 Badwater Basin elevation sign |
 Repeated freeze-thaw cycle pushes salt crust into approximately hexagonal honeycomb shape |
 Salt pinnacles in Devil's Golf Course |
 Tourist area flooded by ephemeral Lake Badwater, Death Valley National Park, California. Spring of 2005. |
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| Badwater Basin | |
|---|---|
| Location | Death Valley California |
| Coordinates | 36°14′24″N 116°49′54″W / 36.23998°N 116.83171°WCoordinates: 36°14′24″N 116°49′54″W / 36.23998°N 116.83171°W |
| Lake type | Endorheic basin |
| Primary inflows | Amargosa River |
| Primary outflows | Terminal (evaporation) |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Settlements | Badwater, California |
| References | USGS GNIS: Badwater Basin |
Badwater Basin is a basin in Death Valley National Park, Death Valley, California. The water which goes into it does not flow into any ocean.
Badwater Basin is the lowest point in North America, at 282 ft (86 m) below sea level. Mount Whitney, the highest point in the 48 states,[1] is only 76 miles west of the Basin.
Badwater Basin has a small natural pool of undrinkable water next to the road. The water comes from a spring. It is called 'Badwater' because people cannot drink the water. This is because so much salt has built up from the basin. The pool does have animals and plants living there, including pickleweed, insects, and the Badwater snail.
The pool is not actually the lowest point of the basin. The lowest point is several miles to the west, the exact point which is lowest changes. However, the salt flats are dangerous to travel across (in many cases being only a thin white crust over mud), therefore the sign states that the lowest point is at the pool, where people can see it. Some people say that it is the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere, but this is not true. The lowest point is actually Laguna del Carbón in Argentina at −105 meters (−344 feet).
Contents |
At Badwater Basin, big rainstorms sometimes flood the bottom of the valley. They cover the salt pan with a thin sheet of standing water. This makes new lakes, but the lakes do not last long. This is because the average 1.9 inches (48 mm) of rain that falls every year is much lower than the a 150-inch annual evaporation rate, so all the water evaporates away. This means that even a 12-foot-deep, 30-mile-long lake would dry up in a single year. While the basin is flooded, some of the salt dissolves and goes back into the basin as clean crystals when the water evaporates.[2]
Painted on the cliff above Badwater is a sign that says "Sea Level" [3] which people visiting like to look at.[4]
During the Holocene, when the regional climate was less dry, streams that ran from mountains in the area slowly filled Death Valley until it was 3 feet (1m) deep. Eventually, there was a 80 mi (130 km) long lake, Lake Manly.[5]
The wet times with much rain did not last. The temperature got warmer, and there was less rain. The lake began to dry up, and as the water evaporated, the lake became saltier. Eventually, only a soup of brine was left. Salts (95% table salt: NaCl) began to turn into crystals, covering the surface with a thick crust from three inches to five feet thick (1-1.7m).[2]
Badwater elevation
Badwater Basin elevation sign |
Hexagonal Shaped Salt Crust at
Repeated freeze-thaw cycle pushes salt crust into shapes that are like honeycombs and hexagons |
Death Valley Devil's Golf
Salt pinnacles in Devil's Golf Course |
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