Textures in White, Death Valley, California

(Click image to enlarge)

The lowest point in North America is 282 feet (86 meters) below sea level. It is located at the bottom of Lake Manley in the Badwater Basin, which is usually dry. The basin is surrounded by mountains that rise up to 11,049 ft (3368 meters) above sea level.

Rains carry mineral salts, which are 95% sodium chloride, to the valley floor where it is trapped. If the rains are heavy enough they can occasionally fill Lake Manley with enough water for kayaking, but the average rainfall here is less two inches per year. Because the average evaporation rate is 128 inches per year the water quickly evaporates leaving behind the white salt deposits. This makes the lowest parts of the valley a chemical desert where few things can survive.

This photograph was captured using telephoto lens from a vantage point roughly 5700 feet (1737 meters) above the salt pan.