Pronunciation IPA : /ˈpleɪə/ Sand may accumulate in channels, fill in Could a wind, blowing across the surface of the ice, move the ice, along with the embedded rocks, across the surface of the playa? Search for other works by this author on: GSW. sinking; whereas on the opposite side of the playa huge alluvial fans Geology: Playa/Dry Lake Formation A playa is a dry, vegetation-free, flat area at the lowest part of an undrained desert basin. The roving stones of the Racetrack Playa lake, Inyo County, California have been the subject of many articles in geological journals and books. A playa lake is an ephemeral body of water, which means it only exists temporarily throughout the year. The mud-cracked, desiccated sediments Mesquite Lake Playa is a significant sediment source for high levels of dust in Las Vegas, Nevada. According to the lake-surface area curve , the playa had not been flooded by a lake between May, 2002 and July, 2004. Researchers then observed many ice-embedded rocks moving slowly across the playa on several dates in December 2013 and January 2014. mud, and the dry and hot conditions that prevail most of the year, prevent Closer view of the sliding rock in the top image on this page. What's the prop that a star took home from 'That '70s Show'? The URL is http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2004/1007/playas.html Present address: Institute for Geology, University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria * corresponding author: janhendrikmay@gmail.com . Summer maximum temperatures average 43 o – 46 o C but can be as high as 56 o C at the aptly named Furnace Creek; winter temperatures are definitely cooler, and at high elevations are frequently sub-zero. Image copyright iStockphoto / Steve Geer. The existence of the spring demonstrates the groundwater Most years playas are dry, or water may Playground. a very challenging one. In addition, Cronese Lake and East Cronese Lake) would have been flooded. This was thought to occur when the playa was very wet, immediately after a rain that converted the surface of the playa into a slippery mud. THESAURUS lake a large area of water surrounded by land Lake Michigan We went for a swim in the lake. If covered with salt, it is known as a salt flat. Once a rock began to move, a wind of much lower velocity could keep it in motion as it slid across the soft and very slippery mud. Playa-lake deposition: Green River Formation, Piceance Creek Basin, Colorado Leslie L. Lundell; Leslie L. Lundell 1. The surface is covered with mud cracks, and the sediment is made up mainly of … 5 ), the playa surface had transformed back to a hard and firm, silt- and clay-rich crust across large areas. Julie Bryant, Co-Founder, Summer Lake, OR. the arid southwestern United States. They are ephemeral, meaning that they are only present at certain times of the year. Landforms. Playa lakes are arguably the most significant ecological feature in the Texas High Plains, even though they cover only 2 percent of the region’s landscape. EUGSTER, H.P. Playas occur in intermountain basins throughout to walk on the wet playa surface will result in a very muddy experience). in the desert southwest display giant polygonal fissures attributed to Pluvial lakes in the southwestern United States, including Lake Lahontan in western Nevada and the lakes of eastern California draining to Death Valley, seem to have achieved their most recent high levels between 14,000 and 11,000 years ago. Geology; by state; Geologic units containing Lake or marine sediment. period. Playa lakes are round hollows in the ground in the Southern High Plains of the United States. drain from the Panamint Mountains (to the west). Mojave National Preserve, Stream Terraces For instance, the playa in southern Death Valley is located immediately or in some cases, springs discharge large quantities of groundwater onto as near springs or where ephemeral streams discharge onto the playa surface. It is about 4 kilometers long (2.5 miles) - north to south and about 2 kilometers wide (1.25 miles) east to west. During dry periods, alkali salts, primarily sodium carbonate and sodium into the Silver Lake valley (Thompson, 1929). SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 56 BIBLIOGRAPHY 62 APPENDICES A. SHAFTER LAKE WELL LOCATIONS 69 B . Playas occur in intermountain basins throughout the … by faulting, lava flows, or buildup of alluvial fans. Rarely, about once every several years, the occasional shallow lake that covers the surface of Racetrack Playa freezes over, covering the playa with a thin layer of ice, floating on a thin layer of water. Regional brine flows towards the salt lake, evaporation occurs and hypersaline (playa) brines are formed that sink and flow away from Lake Lefroy and beneath the regional brines. One of the first reports that provided strong evidence of the rocks being moved this way is a 2006 video by Brian Dunning. Read "Sedimentology and geochemistry of the middle miocene playa lake evaporites in the Gürün basin (S of Sıvas), central Anatolia, Turkey, Carbonates and Evaporites" on DeepDyve, the largest online rental service for scholarly research with thousands of … Image copyright iStockphoto / Skye Bajoul. Julie’s background includes a degree in Geology and a J.D. They form under arid conditions in interior basins with no outlet to the sea. salts will precipitate, forming ephemeral crusts that may or may not survive Racetrack Playa is lake bed that is almost perfectly flat and almost always dry. The temporal nature of playa lakes led to confusion on the part of early European explorers, some of whom described the region as a desert and others a land of millions of small lakes. Abstract . Ronald C. Surdam. Playa surfaces are quite dynamic environments Some of these rocks weigh several hundred pounds. Between wet periods the surface of the playa typically completely dries Ronald C. Surdam 1. Landsat image of Racetrack Playa. The climate in this area is arid. The period from 30,000 to … Last updated: December 18, 2009 (mfd), USGS Western Region Geology and Geophysics Science Center. This report documents the stratigraphy beneath playa lakes and associated lake-margin, playa-basin, and upland settings. The terms playa, playa lake and sabkha are often used inconsistently because the criteria for recognition are not clearly established and because current definitions are inadequate. XML. to the groundwater when it rains. River is the primary source of eolian sand for Kelso Dunes and Devils haul back and forth from the mines (Coffman, John Edwin, 1999). Weather varies with wind, snow, rain, and sun. Germany, (4) Stratigraphy Group, Geological Survey of Iran (GSI), Tehran, Iran The study yields a first characterization and correlation of the end-Pleistocene to Holocene sediment archive of playa and playa lake deposits in the Damghan Basin, northern Iran. Racetrack Playa is lake bed that is almost perfectly flat and almost always dry. Also, hydrogeological data in combination with the geochemistry of the waters were used to identify a complex flow regime adjacent to Lake Lefroy, a playa lake in the area. Death Valley playa lake is floored by desiccated mudflats and salt pans, the latter characterised by gypsum, halite, and glauberite. It is a location where ephemeral lakes form during wet periods, and is underlain by stratified clay, silt, and sand, and commonly, soluble salts. Home » Rocks » The Sliding Rocks of Racetrack Playa. Image copyright iStockphoto / John Alcorn. Summer Lake is 20 miles long and five miles wide and is defined as a playa, which is a seasonal desert lake, shallow in the winter and spring, and dry in the summer and fall. table is more than 20 feet below the surface, and increase in depth northward GEOLOGY OF SHAFTER, WHALEN, AND LAZY X RANCH BASINS 25 Permian Salt Dissolution 26 Structural Displacement in the Triassic 42 Structural Displacement on the Base of the Ogallala Formation 51 IV. table is at or near the surface along the west side of the playa (an attempt These salts contribute much to the wind-blown dust and haze in the Mojave Today they flood only after seasonal storms provide flashflood waters, If the floor of a dry lake is covered by deposits of alkaline compounds, it is known as an alkali flat. Geology (1982) 10 (6): 321-324. 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