Download death valley alive!

lesser Amargosa Range composed of
the Black, Funeral and Grapevine
mountains. All of these mountains
were formed when the brittle earth’s
crust was deformed through east-west
compression.
Not only were the Sierra Nevada
heaved up as huge fault blocks, but
lesser fault block mountains all across
the Great Basin were lifted as well.
The Death Valley area, in a seemingly
contrary geologic action, had a release
of pressure, forming the deep rift
valley.
Death Valley is one of the world’s
hottest and driest places. The highest
temperature ever recorded in the
United States — 134 F. (57 F.) — was
reported on July 10, 1913.
This
temperature is within only 2 F ( 1 C) of
tying the world record of 136 F (58 C)
at El Azizia in Libya in 1922.
Death Valley is extremely dry
precisely because it is bounded by
DEATH VALLEY
ALIVE!
gosa
ar
descends along the east sides of the
mountains, the air warms and the
process is one of adiabatic warming. As
the air heats, its relative humidity falls
rapidly. By the time the air reaches the
valley floor, it is super-heated and
extremely dry. Just as heated air from
a hair drier evaporates moisture,
Neal G.
Death Valley’s hot, dry air evaporates
any moisture available, even from
Lineback
animal and human lungs.
Death Valley received its name from
a group of pioneers who crossed it
from east to west in 1849 as part of
It’s hard to imagine Death Valley
California’s gold rush migration.
with abundant precipitation. This is
Although winters can be cool and dry,
the year, however, when flowers are
summer surface temperatures are
blooming there after torrential winter
unbearable. Without air conditioning,
rains provided a surplus of spring
hardly anything moves in the midmoisture never before witnessed in
day and afternoon heat. Most resident
Death Valley.
animals are nocturnal.
Death Valley, California, is an
In 1933, the area around Death
elongated geographical feature called
Valley in California and Nevada was
a rift valley, formed by a geological
established as Death Valley National
feature called a graben. A graben is a
Monument. The monument has
down-dropped block of
become a popular winter
Oh Death, Where Is Thy Sting?
the earth crust which
vacation destination for
Geography in the News 4/29/05
forms when pressure is
owners of recreation
P. Larkins
released on the faults on
vehicles.
either side of the block.
Record winter precipiNevada
As the block drops, or
tation
fell on southern
Death Valley
subsides, over thousands
Am
California this year (2005)
National
Monument
of years, a rift valley
95
and some reached Death
forms at the surface.
Valley. In an incredible
Other examples of the
r
display of desert life,
Owens
earth’s many rift valleys
Lake
Death Valley’s plants
190
include the Red Sea
Badwater 190
flourished as spring
Depression, the Jordan
arrived. These not only
©2005
River Valley, Europe’s
included the greening of
395
Rhine Valley and Jackson
mesquite,
creosote
Hole, Wyoming.
lle
China Lake
bushes and desert holly,
178
y
N.W.C.
The
elongated
rift
but desert flowers whose
California
valley composing Death
seeds have lain dormant
Valley is about 130 miles
for years and have
0
25 mi
China Lake
(209 km.) long and 6 to 14
sprung to life. Suddenly,
N.W.C.
0
25 km
Ridgecrest
Fort Irwin
miles (10 to 23 km.) wide.
this desolate landscape is
Its bottom is 282 feet (85.5
blooming.
m.) below sea level near Badwater,
high mountains. Lying in the westerly
Don’t expect this desert to turn
California, making it the lowest site in
wind belt, most of the air that crosses
green every year. This year was
the Western Hemisphere. The valley
the region moves from the Pacific
unusual and these precipitation totals
runs north and south and is located in
Ocean. Before it reaches the Death
may not be repeated for a hundred
southeast central California near the
Valley depression, however, it must
years or more.
Nevada border.
cross the high Sierra Nevada and the
And that is Geography in the News
Panamint Range.
Technically, Death Valley is situated
™. April 29, 2005. #778.
among a series of fault block mounAs the moisture-laden air rises on
(The author is a Geography Professor
tains to the east of the Sierra Nevada.
the west sides of the mountains, it
and
Interim Dean of the College of Arts
To the west are the Panamint Mounexpands and cools in a process called
and
Sciences at Appalachian State
tains, rising to 11,049 feet (3,368 m.) at
adiabatic cooling and most of its moisUniversity,
Boone, NC.)
Telescope Peak. To the east is the
ture condenses. As the drier air
Geography
In The
News™
e
Riv
Deat
h
Va
©2005 Maps.com