Zabriskie Point Before Sunrise

The wild range of colors in the eroded hills at Zabriskie Point show their best in the morning light just before sunrise.

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Zabirskie Point Catches the Sun

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Erosion Wonderland

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Sunlit Ridges at Zabriskie Point

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Death Valley

Chocolatey Discontinuity

Between these highly eroded golden hills lie deposits of chocolate colored materials eroded from a much softer source upstream.

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Golden Canyon Details

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Golden Canyon Colors

Death Valley

Badwater Basin - Salt and Water

If one is lucky during the winter rainy season, you can find Badwater Basin (the lowest point in North America) covered in a thin layer of water. Since there is no outflow, the water sits in place until it evaporates, leaving behind the dissolved salts from the surrounding mountains that have accumulated.

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Badwater Basin Turns Blue

As the salty water of Badwater Basin evaporates, it leaves behind salts that accumulate in ridges first. It seems to be like ice, but is slightly spongy when wet and pushes up in sharp shards when dry.

Here the blues and roses of the post-sunset sky turns the water and the salt strongly colored.

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Badwater Basin Dries Out

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