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Encyclopedia > Death Valley

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. 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] Death Valley most commonly refers to a desert valley in east-central California, or the surrounding national park. ... Fljótsdalur in East Iceland, a rather flat valley In geology, a valley (also called a vale or dale) is a depression with predominant extent in one direction. ... A U.S. state is any one of the 50 states which have membership of the federation known as the United States of America (USA or U.S.). The separate state governments and the U.S. federal government share sovereignty. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... This article is about the U.S. State of Nevada. ... Elevation histogram of the surface of the Earth – approximately 71% of the Earths surface is covered with water. ... North American redirects here. ... A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, ′ – a prime) is a unit of length, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... This article is about the unit of length. ... For considerations of sea level change, in particular rise associated with possible global warming, see sea level rise. ... The following is a list of places on land located below mean sea level. ... This article is about the mountain range in the Western United States. ... Drainage map showing the Great Basin in orange Various Definitions of the Great Basin (NPS) Wheeler Peak in Great Basin National Park, Nevada. ... For the indigenous American tribe, see Mohave. ... Death Valley National Park is a mostly arid United States National Park located east of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in southern Inyo County and northern San Bernardino County in California with a small extension into southwestern Nye County and extreme southern Esmeralda County in Nevada. ... The Armagosa Range is a mountain range located near Death Valley. ... Categories: US geography stubs | California mountains | Great Basin | Death Valley ... The Sylvania Mountains are located in California and Nevada in the United States. ... The Owlshead Mountains are located at the southern end of Death Valley National Park near the border of the Fort Irwin Military Reservation in eastern California, USA. The range lies north of the Granite Mountains and northwest of the Avawatz Mountains. ... For other uses, see Border (disambiguation). ...

Death Valley Dunes

Contents

Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (5000x1198, 3805 KB) Summary Taken by User:Phreakdigital Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (5000x1198, 3805 KB) Summary Taken by User:Phreakdigital Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ...

Geography

Satellite Image of Death Valley
Satellite Image of Death Valley

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. Death valley also contains salt pans. Millions of years ago, there was an inland sea located over where Death Valley is today, but as the area turned to desert, the water evaporated, leaving behind the salt.[citation needed] Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 480 × 599 pixelsFull resolution‎ (596 × 744 pixels, file size: 378 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Death Valley as seen by by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite on March 11, 2004. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 480 × 599 pixelsFull resolution‎ (596 × 744 pixels, file size: 378 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Death Valley as seen by by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite on March 11, 2004. ... This article includes a list of works cited but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... Full extent of the Basin and Range The Basin and Range Province is a particular type of topography that covers much of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico that is typified by elongate north-south trending arid valleys bounded by mountain ranges which also bound adjacent valleys. ... The Walker Lane is a geological trough which runs north to south, roughly aligned with the border of the states of California and Nevada in the United States. ... There are various types of faults: In document ISO/CD 10303-226, a fault is defined as an abnormal condition or defect at the component, equipment, or sub-system level which may lead to a failure. ... Perspective view of Garlock Fault The Garlock Fault Line is a left-lateral strike-slip fault line running approximately northeast-southwest in the southwestern United States. ... The Mojave and Colorado Deserts Biosphere Reserve is a biosphere reserve designated by UNESCO in 1984 to promote the ecological conservation of a cluster of areas in the Mojave and Colorado deserts of California. ... Salt pans can refer to: Salt pan (geology), a flat expanse of ground covered with salt and other minerals, usually found in deserts. ...


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. Fahrenheit is a temperature scale named after the German physicist Gabriel Fahrenheit (1686–1736), who proposed it in 1724. ... The degree Celsius (symbol: °C) is an SI derived unit of temperature. ...


Many of Death Valley's narrow, serpentine roads were built in the 1930s and cannot be driven on 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. Badwater Basin elevation sign Badwater is a site in Californias Death Valley noted as the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere, with an elevation of 282 feet (86 m) below sea level. ... The continental United States refers (except sometimes in U.S. federal law and regulations) to the largest part of the U.S. that is delimited by a continuous border. ... Mount Whitney is the highest point in the contiguous United States at elevation 14,505 feet (4,421 meters). ... For considerations of sea level change, in particular rise associated with possible global warming, see sea level rise. ... The following is a list of places on land located below mean sea level. ...

Death Valley

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 highest 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. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1422x2000, 1989 KB) Summary Taken by User:Phreakdigital Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1422x2000, 1989 KB) Summary Taken by User:Phreakdigital Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Temperature extremes are the highest and lowest temperatures recorded in specific locales. ... Furnace Creek is an area in Death Valley National Park, and is known for its historical setting. ... is the 191st day of the year (192nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1913 (MCMXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... An inch (plural: inches; symbol or abbreviation: in or, sometimes, ″ - a double prime) is the name of a unit of length in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... A millimetre (American spelling: millimeter), symbol mm is an SI unit of length that is equal to one thousandth of a metre. ... Amargosa River The Amargosa River is an intermittent stream, approximately 200 mi (320 km) long, in southern Nevada and eastern California in the United States. ...


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. Lower Antelope Canyon was carved out of sandstone by flash floods A Flash Flood is a rapid flooding of geomorphic low-lying areas (washes), rivers and streams, caused by the intense rainfall associated with a thunderstorm, or multiple training thunderstorms. ...

Sometimes after winter rains Death Valley does not look like a desert for a few weeks
Sometimes after winter rains Death Valley does not look like a desert for a few weeks

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. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 533 pixelsFull resolution (3072 × 2048 pixel, file size: 3. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 533 pixelsFull resolution (3072 × 2048 pixel, file size: 3. ...


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.
The Pleistocene epoch (IPA: ) on the geologic timescale is the period from 1,808,000 to 11,550 years BP. The Pleistocene epoch had been intended to cover the worlds recent period of repeated glaciations. ... The Lake Manly lake system as it might have looked during its last maximum extent 22,000 years ago. ... The California Gold Rush (1848–1855) began shortly after January 24, 1848 (when gold was discovered at Sutters Mill in Coloma). ... Borax from Persian burah. ... Twenty mule teams were teams of eighteen mules and two horses attached to large wagons that ferried borax out of Death Valley from 1883 to 1889. ...

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

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' dh;ofehoooooooooovi;ovhid;hvsaoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhw;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;iah;oooooooooo fio;a This page meets Wikipedias criteria for speedy deletion. ... Red ochre and yellow ochre (pronounced //, from the Greek ochros, yellow) are pigments made from naturally tinted clay. ... Grapevine is an unincorporated community in Kern County located at the foot of a road grade known as the Grapevine through Tejon Pass in the Tehachapi Mountains at the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley along Interstate 5 (formerly U.S. Highway 99). ... Scottys Castle Scottys Castle is a a two-story Spanish Villa located in northern Death Valley National Park, California, USA. It is also known as Death Valley Ranch. ... The Timbisha language (also called Panamint and spelled Tümpisa) is the language of the Native American people who inhabited the region in and around Death Valley, California in late prehistoric times. ...


In popular culture

Death Valley 69 was the first single from Sonic Youth. ... Sonic Youth is an American alternative rock band formed in New York City in 1981. ... Charles Milles Manson (b. ... Murder is the crime of causing the death of another human being without lawful excuse, and with intent to kill or to cause grievous bodily harm. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... Dir en grey is a Japanese band formed in 1997 and currently signed to Firewall Div. ... Death Valley Days was a long-running American radio and television anthology about true stories of the old American West, particularly the Death Valley area. ... Apache Junction is a city primarily in Pinal County, Arizona, with a small portion in Maricopa County, Arizona. ... Official language(s) English Spoken language(s) English 74. ... For other persons of the same name, see Benjamin Norris. ... See also: 1898 in literature, other events of 1899, 1900 in literature, list of years in literature. ... McTeague is a novel by Frank Norris. ... Greed is a 1924 dramatic silent movie starring Gibson Gowland, ZaSu Pitts, Jean Hersholt and Chester Conklin. ... Queen of the Damned is a 2002 film adaptation of the third novel of Anne Rices The Vampire Chronicles series, The Queen of the Damned; although the film contained many plot elements from that novels predecessor, The Vampire Lestat. ... Zabriskie Point is a 1970 film by Michelangelo Antonioni that depicts the U.S. counterculture movement of that time. ... This article is about the series. ... Six-String Samurai is a 1998 post-apocalyptic action/comedy film directed by Lance Mungia. ... World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. ... Mark William Calaway (born March 24, 1962[1][2]) is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, (The) Undertaker. ... Houston redirects here. ... Clemson University is a public, coeducational, land-grant, research university located in Clemson, South Carolina, United States. ... Official language(s) English Capital Columbia Largest city Columbia Largest metro area Columbia Area  Ranked 40th  - Total 34,726 sq mi (82,965 km²)  - Width 200 miles (320 km)  - Length 260 miles (420 km)  - % water 6  - Latitude 32° 2′ N to 35° 13′ N  - Longitude 78° 32′ W to 83... This article covers college football played in the United States. ... Robot Jox is a 1990 science fiction film directed by Stuart Gordon, and starring Gary Graham, Anne-Marie Johnson, and Paul Koslo. ... This article is about the term used in science fiction, anime, and manga. ... This article is about powerful states. ... For other uses, see Alaska (disambiguation). ... Apocalyptic science fiction is a sub-genre of science fiction that is concerned with the end of the world or civilization, through nuclear war, plague, or some other general disaster. ...

Pictures

Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 741 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (900 × 728 pixel, file size: 356 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Photographed by Doug Dolde in Death Valley, California, 2007 Arca Swiss 4x5 view camera, Fujichrome Provia 100F transparency film. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 258 pixelsFull resolution (4000 × 1290 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2318x2046, 3231 KB) Summary Licensing File links The following pages link to this file: Death Valley Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used to create or digitize it. ... Landsat 7 is the latest satellite of the Landsat program. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution‎ (2,592 × 1,944 pixels, file size: 2. ...

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... Places of interest in the Death Valley area are mostly located within Death Valley National Park in eastern California. ... Death Valley National Park is a mostly arid United States National Park located east of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in southern Inyo County and northern San Bernardino County in California with a small extension into southwestern Nye County and extreme southern Esmeralda County in Nevada. ... The exposed geology of the Death Valley area presents a diverse and complex story that includes at least 23 formations of sedimentary units, two major gaps in the geologic record called unconformities, and at least one distinct set of related formations geologists call groups. ... The Death Valley Pupfish (Cyprinodon salinus) is a species of fish that is the last known survivor of what is thought to have been an large ecosystem of fish species that lived in Lake Manly which dried up at the end of the last ice age leaving the present day... Satellite image of Racetrack Playa. ... Richard Benyo is an American writer and author. ... Stan Jones was an American songwriter. ... For the Combichrist song, see Everybody Hates You Mark Calaway (born March 24, 1965[2][3]) is an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name The Undertaker. ...

References

  • UNESCO Biosphere Preserve: Mojave and Colorado Deserts
  • Strange moving rocks of the valley
  • Death Valley Weather
  • Death Valley and surrounding area sites - GPS coordinates
  1. ^ Wright, John W. (ed.); Editors and reporters of The New York Times (2006). The New York Times Almanac, 2007, New York, New York: Penguin Books, 456. ISBN 0-14-303820-6. 
  2. ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118736/locations

External links

Coordinates: 36°14′N, 116°46′W Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...


  Results from FactBites:
 
Death Valley National Park (U.S. National Park Service) (429 words)
Death Valley Scotty told everyone that he built this castle in the hidden canyons of Death Valley.
Death Valley is generally sunny, dry, and clear throughout the year.
The highest mountain in Death Valley National Park is 11,049 foot Telescope Peak.
Death Valley National Park - Areaparks.com (212 words)
This valley is also a land of subtle beauties: Morning light creeping across the eroded badlands of Zabriskie Point to strike Manly Beacon, the setting sun and lengthening shadows on the Sand Dunes at Stovepipe Wells, and the colors of myriad wildflowers on the golden hills above Harmony Borax on a warm spring day.
Death Valley is a treasure trove of scientific information about the ancient Earth and about the forces still working to shape our modern world.
Death Valley is a land of extremes, and much more.
  More results at FactBites »


 

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