Death Valley is a desert on the border of California and Nevada, known for being the lowest point in North America and having the highest recorded temperature in the Western Hemisphere. Despite its extreme climate, it has a thriving ecosystem and is a US national park. The area was named by prospectors during the 1840s, and it has been inhabited by the Timbisha Shoshone tribe for centuries. Eccentric residents include ‘Death Valley Scotty’ and Charles Manson. The area is also known for the “sailing stones,” rocks that move without apparent intervention.
Death Valley is a desert on the border of Southern California and Nevada. It is notable as the lowest point in North America and as the site of the highest recorded temperature in the Western Hemisphere. Annual rainfall is also notoriously low. It has a thriving ecosystem, however, and is the site of a US national park. The area was named by prospectors during the 1840s; despite the name, only one prospector is known to have died there.
Death Valley is part of the larger Mojave Desert, which stretches across California, Nevada, Utah and Arizona. The high mountain ranges surrounding the valley cause it to absorb high levels of summer heat. The low air pressure created by the depths of the valley contains this heat, leading to temperatures regularly exceeding 120° Fahrenheit (49° Celsius) during the summer months. Precipitation is also hampered by the surrounding mountains, which absorb most of the moisture from coastal rain-carrying clouds. This effect is called a “rain shadow”.
In 1913, the air temperature at a Death Valley logging station was 134°F (56.7°C). It is the hottest measurement ever recorded on earth. The record for the hottest place on earth was held by the Libyan desert for some time, but that measurement was invalidated by the World Meteorological Organization in 2012. So the record remains with Death Valley. In 1972, scientists recorded a ground temperature of 201°C (93.8°F), another record high, in the aptly named Furnace Creek. Precipitation averages less than 2 inches annually; in 1929 and 1953 it didn’t rain at all. The dry climate accounts for the Death Valley state as the lowest place in North America at 282 feet (86 m) below sea level. Most areas that low fill with water and become lakes or reservoirs.
The area has been inhabited by the Timbisha Shoshone tribe for centuries. It became a pass during the westward expansion of the United States, particularly during the California Gold Rush of 1849. Misdirected prospectors now known as the “Lost ’49ers” gave the place its name, because they believed they would find there met their fate; all but one of them escaped to safety. Later in the 19th century, miners stayed in Death Valley to collect silver and borax, a crystalline chemical that occurs naturally in the area.
Eccentric residents include ‘Death Valley Scotty’, a former gold prospector who persuaded a wealthy benefactor to build a luxury home there. The residence, now known as ‘Scotty’s Castle’, is a popular tourist destination. Mass murderer Charles Manson was hiding out on a Death Valley ranch when he was arrested in 1969. Other oddities include the “sailing stones,” large rocks that change position in the desert with no apparent human or animal intervention. Geologists theorize various causes for their movement, including ice caps and high winds, but consensus and definitive evidence remain elusive.
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