Death Valley

Death Valley, arid, low-lying, desert region in south-eastern California. It was given its name by one of 18 survivors of a party of 30 attempting in 1849 to find a short cut to the California goldfields. Much of the valley is below sea level, and near Badwater at 86 m (282 ft) below sea level, is the lowest point in the western hemisphere. Death Valley National Park (established 1933) has an area of 8,368.1 sq km (3,230.9 sq mi) and incorporates the valley and surrounding mountains.

The valley is from 6 to 26 km (4 to 16 mi) wide and about 225 km (140 mi) long, and is almost entirely enclosed by mountain ranges, volcanic in origin, bare, and brilliantly coloured. The Panamint Range on the west, which rises to a maximum altitude of 3,367 m (11,045 ft) at Telescope Peak, shuts out the moist Pacific winds. On the east are the peaks of the Amargosa Range.

Several watercourses enter the valley, among them the Amargosa River from the south and Furnace Creek from the east, but it is only after heavy rains, which are rare, that they contain water. The lowest-lying parts of the valley floor are salt flats, devoid of vegetation; higher-lying areas contain a mixture of sand and salt grains, occasionally forming dunes.

The summer temperatures in Death Valley, one of the hottest regions known, exceed 51.7° C (125° F) in the shade and rarely fall below 21.1° C (70° F). The National Weather Service recorded 56.7° C (134° F) in 1913, the highest temperature ever recorded in the United States. Average rainfall in a normal year is 50 mm (2 in). Sandstorms and dust whirlwinds of several hours' duration are common.

The western side of the valley floor is bordered by stunted mesquite, and in an area of marshland in the northern section a growth of tall, coarse grass is found. The east and west slopes have a sparse vegetation of cacti and desert shrubs and grasses.

Animal life is confined to a few species of desert reptiles, such as horned toads and lizards, and such mammals as rabbits and rats. The rare desert bighorn sheep lives mostly in the mountains surrounding the valley, and competes for food and water with non-native feral donkeys and horses, the descendants of pack animals used by early prospectors and settlers. Death Valley's springs, pools, and marshes, some of which are over five times saltier than seawater, support several species of desert pupfish. Some, like the Devil's Hole pupfish, are found nowhere else in the world.

Gold has been found in Death Valley, and silver, copper, and lead have been taken in paying quantities. The famous borax deposits of Death Valley were first mined in the 1880s.