Racetrack Playa (January 28, 2005)

Index of Galleries and Introduction

Open Slide Show

earthlight images logo
  • Home
  • About
  • Galleries
  • Search
  • Contact
  • Links

restart slide show go back one image     pause slide show     slow slide show down     speed slide show up     close slide show

Click on image for larger version.

previous image Previous     image 1 - 6 of 12     Next previous image

Index of galleries:
 
  The Mystery of Racetrack Playa
 
Racetrack Playa (February 17, 2004)
 
Racetrack Playa (January 28, 2005)
 
Racetrack Playa (January 29, 2005)
 
Racetrack Playa (February 10, 2005
 
  My second investigation of the Racetrack Playa, January 28, 2005 did much to add weight to the theory that ice sheets and wind moved the sliding rocks on the Racetrack. I hope the following collection of observations will be a useful addition to the literature.

 At first the day seemed disappointing. We had driven all the way from Austin, Texas to Death Valley and then over 27 miles of rugged gravel washboard road to see what had happened since last Spring's tracks of the sliding rocks on the desert playa lake bed. What did we find? An El Niño winter lake in the basin! Almost half and especially the southern end of the playa where the sliding rocks are found below the dolomite finger ridge was covered in water. We could barely see any tracks at all.

 

return

click here to return

large image

 The Racetrack Playa, looking south from the northern end of the dry playa lake bed, past the 'Grandstand' outcrop of volcanic rocks in the northern middle of the lake toward the relatively low dolomite buttress on the right.  A faint  bluish-white line in the left center of the image depicts the water on the playa at the time. 

previous image set next image set

Copyright © -2025 Tim Jones. Worldwide Rights Reserved.

web application development by davidcdalton.com