Death Valley

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Death Valley is a valley in the U.S. states of California and Nevada, and is the location of the lowest elevation in North America at 282 ft (86 m) below sea level, (although the bottom of the Lake Superior rift valley in Michigan, at about 733 feet (223 m) below sea level, is in reality much lower). It is one of many places on land which fall below mean sea level. Located southeast of the Sierra Nevada range in the Great Basin and the Mojave Desert, it constitutes much of Death Valley National Park. It runs north-south between the Amargosa Range to the east and the Panamint Range to the west; the Sylvania Mountains and the Owlshead Mountains form its northern and southern boundaries, respectively. It has an area of about 3,000 square miles (~7,800 km²).^[1]

Contents 1 Geography 2 Native population 3 In popular culture 4 Pictures 5 See also 6 References 7 External links

[edit] Geography

Geologically, Death Valley is considered one of the best examples of the Basin and Range configuration. It lies at the southern end of a geological trough known as the Walker Lane which runs north into Oregon. The valley is bisected by a right lateral strike slip fault, the Death Valley Fault. The eastern end of the left lateral Garlock Fault intersects the Death Valley Fault. Located on the border of California and Nevada, Death Valley is the principal feature of the Mojave and Colorado Deserts Biosphere Reserve.

Temperatures in the Valley can range from up to 130°F (54 °C) in the day in the summer, to below freezing at night in the winter. The lowest temperature on record at Furnace Creek Inn is 15 °F (-9 °C). The National Climatic Center reports that temperatures at Furnace Creek reach 90 °F (32 °C) on an average of 189.3 days annually and 100 °F (38 °C) on an average of 138.0 days annually. Freezing temperatures occur on an average of 11.7 days each year.

Many of Death Valley's narrow, serpentine roads were built in the 1930s and cannot be driven at high speed. Badwater, located within Death Valley, is the specific location of the lowest point in North America. (Surprisingly, the highest point in the contiguous United States, Mount Whitney, is just 76 miles (123 km) west of Death Valley.) At 282 feet (86 m) below sea level, Death Valley shares most of the characteristics found in other places around the world that lie below sea level.

Generally, the lower the altitude of a place, the higher the temperatures tend to be. This is especially true in Death Valley, due to the mountains that encircle the valley. The valley radiates extreme amounts of heat, creating temperatures that are among the hottest on earth. The hottest temperature ever recorded in the United States was 134 °F (56.7 °C) at Furnace Creek (then known as Greenland Ranch), during a sandstorm (according to National Weather Service records), on July 10, 1913. The highest average high temperature in July is 117 °F (47 °C) with temperatures of 122 °F (50 °C) or higher being very common. Parts of the valley receive less than 2 in (50 mm) of rain annually. At Furnace Creek Inn, average annual precipitation is 2.33 inches and there are an average of 18.1 days annually with measurable precipitation. The greatest monthly precipitation was 2.59 inches in January 1995 and 1.47 inch of precipitation fell on April 15, 1988, the one-day record. The Amargosa River and Furnace Creek flow through the valley, disappearing into the sands of the valley floor.

While Death Valley gets very little rain, it is prone to flooding during heavy rains because the soil is unable to absorb the bulk of the water. The runoff can produce dangerous flash floods. In August 2004, such flooding caused two deaths and shut down the national park.

The National Climatic Center reports that, on a few rare occasions, light snow has fallen on the valley floor. The most recent snow flurries at Furnace Creek Inn were on January 5, 1974.

During the late Pleistocene, the valley was inundated by prehistoric Lake Manly. The valley received its name in 1849 during the California Gold Rush by emigrants who sought to cross the valley on their way to the gold fields. During the 1850s, gold and silver were extracted in the valley. In the 1880s, borax was discovered and extracted by mule-drawn wagons.

Climate Table

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum temperature	64 °F 18 °C	71 °F 22 °C	80 °F 27 °C	89 °F 32 °C	98 °F 37 °C	107 °F 42 °C	114 °F 46 °C	113 °F 45 °C	105 °F 41 °C	91 °F 33 °C	75 °F 24 °C	64 °F 18 °C	89 °F 32 °C
Mean daily minimum temperature	37 °F 3 °C	44 °F 7 °C	51 °F 11 °C	60 °F 16 °C	69 °F 21 °C	78 °F 26 °C	86 °F 30 °C	84 °F 29 °C	73 °F 23 °C	59 °F 15 °C	46 °F 8 °C	37 °F 3 °C	60 °F 16 °C
Mean monthly rainfall	0.3" 7.6mm	0.4" 10.2mm	0.3" 7.6mm	0.1" 2.5mm	0.1" 2.5mm	0.0" 0.0mm	0.1" 2.5mm	0.1" 2.5mm	0.2" 5.1mm	0.1" 2.5mm	0.2" 5.1mm	0.2" 5.1mm	2.1" 53.3mm
Source: Weatherbase

[edit] Native population

Death Valley is home to the Timbisha tribe, who have inhabited the valley for at least the past 1000 years. Some families still live in the valley at Furnace Creek. The name of the valley, tümpisa, means 'rock paint' and refers to the valley as a source of red ochre paint. Another village in the valley was located in Grapevine Canyon near the present site of Scotty's Castle. It was called maahunu in the Timbisha language, the meaning of which is uncertain although hunu means 'canyon'.

[edit] In popular culture

• The song Death Valley '69 by Sonic Youth mentions both Death Valley and the Charles Manson murders that took place in California in 1969.
• Death Valley Days, a 532-episode television series ran from 1952 until 1975. However, it was shot in Apache Junction, Arizona.^{[citation needed]}
• The final chapters of Frank Norris's 1899 novel McTeague are set in Death Valley.
• Death Valley is shown in the movies Death Valley, Queen of the Damned, and Zabriskie Point (the location of the film's famous desert love scene).^{[citation needed]}
• It was a location for filming in the Star Wars films.^{[citation needed]}
• It was a filming location for Six-String Samurai.^[2]
• WWE wrestler The Undertaker is billed from Death Valley, although he is really from Houston, Texas.

[edit] Pictures

Zabriskie Manly.jpg Zabriskie Point and Manly Beacon

Deathvalleysky nps big.jpg Death Valley at night

DeathValley L7 JuneJuly2000.jpg Landsat 7 imagery of Death Valley.

DeathValleyWelcomeSign.jpg Death Valley entrance sign

[edit] See also

• Places of interest in the Death Valley area
• Death Valley National Park
• Geology of the Death Valley area
• Death Valley pupfish
• Racetrack Playa
• Richard Benyo
• Stan Jones (songwriter)
• Mark Calaway

[edit] References