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Death Valley, USA

Death Valley, USA, is the main part of the Mojave and Colorado Deserts Biosphere Reserve. It is located in the desert valley of California, the state border between California and Nevada, and is bordered by the Nevada Mountains to the east. Most of the Death Valley National Park belongs to its scope.

Death Valley is 225 kilometers long, 6-26 kilometers wide, and covers an area of ​​1,408 square kilometers. It is also the lowest and driest region in North America. It has ominous nicknames such as “Dead Crater”, “Valley of Dry Bones” and “Funeral Hill”.

Origin of the name

The cultural remains of the Indians here date back 9,000 years, but the notoriety of “Death Valley” was not spread until 150 years ago.

In the winter of 1849, a gold rush to Jinshan crossed the valley, and most of the people were killed because of the bad weather. The few who made it through the valley sadly said “Goodbye death Valley (translation: goodbye, Death Valley), from which the Death Valley got its name.

Due to the arid and fiery climate here, many gold diggers who took Death Valley as a shortcut to California were unfortunately buried in the desert. Death Valley in the United States is more well known to everyone.

Geological Origin

About 3 million years ago, it was caused by the earth’s gravity crushing the earth’s crust into huge blocks, some of which jutted into mountains and some slanted into valleys. Until the Ice Age, the overwhelming lake water poured into the lower terrain and submerged the entire basin bottom. After millions of years of blazing sun, the Great Salt Lake left over from the ancient century finally dried up. Now exposed to nature, Death Valley is just an accumulation of layers of mud and rock salt.

Two million years ago, the valley still contained an inland sea and 380 wetlands, but most of them were salty. After thousands of years of climate change, the original lake had long since turned into a dry valley. .

Another main reason why Death Valley is so dry is because the three mountains, Sierra Nevada, Panamimt and Agus form a rain barrier, and the sea breeze from the Pacific Ocean There is almost no way for the entrained moisture to enter the valley, making the chance of rainfall here even more minimal.

Geographical environment

Location

Death Valley is located in the desert valley of California, USA, on the border between California and Nevada, and borders the Nevada Mountains to the east. Most areas of Death Valley National Park belong to it, with a total area of ​​3000km², which is twice and a half larger than that of Delaware, USA. 550km² below sea level, located on the border of California and Nevada, about 224 kilometers from Las Vegas.

Terrain

At 282 feet (86 meters) below sea level, Death Valley’s Badwater Basin is the lowest point in North America and 84.6 miles (136.2 kilometers) from the highest point in the continental United States, Mount Whitney at 4,421 meters above sea level. within the Great Basin.

Climate

Death Valley is the hottest and driest region in North America.

Since summer temperatures here are quite high, often above 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.7 degrees Celsius).

During summer, due to the influence of high temperature, a large amount of rising warm air will form clouds above the valley. When enough clouds are gathered, rainfall will cause short-lived showers. The wildflowers and plants in the valley are moistened by the rain and bloom all over the valley. The whole of Death Valley.

The new temperature record of 134 degrees Fahrenheit (56.7 degrees Celsius) set in Death Valley, California was actually set on July 10, 1913, after the previous high temperature record of 136.4 degrees Fahrenheit (58 degrees Celsius) in El Agia was already set by the world Overturned by the WMO, the correct results lead to better analytical data on important global and regional climate change issues.

On September 13, 2012, the World Meteorological Organization announced that Death Valley, California, USA was officially listed as the hottest place in the world with a near-surface temperature of 56.7°C. On June 20, 2017, the National Weather Service meteorologist Tom Fisher said on the 19th that in “Death Valley” in eastern California and the small town of Needles near the border with Arizona, the temperature will reach 127 this week. Altitude in degrees Fahrenheit (53°C).

In October 2015, the rainfall suddenly increased, and even 76 mm of rain fell in 5 hours, moisturizing the arid soil, and as a result, yellow flowers bloomed all over the place and the scenery was pleasant.

Experts say the 2015 El Niño phenomenon brought heavy rain, which accelerated the germination of seeds. The last time Death Valley was in bloom was in 2005, which was also affected by the El Niño phenomenon.