Badwater Basin. |
Badwater Basin, more than 280
feet below sea level, is the lowest point in North America. The
salt flats, which are formed by drainage from the surrounding mountains
and evaporation due to the high temperatures, cover nearly 200 square
miles. Underneath are layers of mud, and some interesting
salt-loving microbes can be found there. The expanse of salt
flats is so impressive that one tends to overlook the springs at the
edge, which are home to the Badwater snail (Assiminea infirma), a small
mollusc. In ancient times (late Pleistocene) this area was a
giant lake, Lake Manly, which was about 90 miles long and up to 600
feet deep. Badwater is also known as the starting point for the
Badwater 135, a 135-mile run described as "the most demanding and
extreme running race offered anywhere on the planet (+)." |
Note the sea level sign. Microbes Brian Adam Schubert. "Long-term survival of prokaryotes in subsurface halite, Death Valley, California." ProQuest LLC, 2009 [2004 paper for dissertation]. Tim K. Lowenstein, Brian A. Schubert and Michael N. Timofeeff. "Microbial communities in fluid inclusions and long-term survival in halite." GSA Today, Volume 21 Issue 1, Jan. 2011. National Science Foundation. "Badwater Basin: Death Valley Microbe Thrives There." Dec. 22, 2011 [press release]. |
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