EPOD - a service of USRA
The Earth Science Picture of the Day (EPOD) highlights the diverse processes and phenomena which shape our planet and our lives. EPOD will collect and archive photos, imagery, graphics, and artwork with short explanatory
captions and links exemplifying features within the Earth system. The
community is invited to contribute digital imagery, short captions and
relevant links.
Archive - Panamint Delta
January 22, 2022
6a0105371bb32c970b0148c86a4537970c
Every weekend we present a notable item from our archives.
This EPOD was originally published February 10, 2011.
Photographer: Wendy Van Norden
Summary Author: Wendy Van Norden
The photo above shows a portion of Panamint Valley, California,
just west of Death Valley. One expects to see alluvial fans in
a desert but not river deltas. This delta looms above the ghost
town of Ballarat, California (in the midground at right) and is a
testament to the fact that the Panamint Valley was not always a desert.
Located in the Basin and Range province, the Panamint Valley is a
pull-apart basin, similar to Death Valley. According to ancient
shoreline data Panamint Valley was filled with water to about 1,820 ft
(555 m) during the Pleistocene (1.8 million to 10,000 years ago).
The delta above Ballarat deposited sediment into Lake Panamint, one of
a string of Pleistocene lakes located in desert basins of California.
This picture was taken from below Surprise Canyon. Surprise Canyon
leads to Panamint City, yet another ghost town in the
Panamints. Gold and silver were discovered nearby in 1874.
However, the mother lode proved much more elusive than the alluvium
that over time filled the lake. Photo taken on March 9, 2005.
Photo details: Camera Maker: CASIO COMPUTER CO.,LTD.; Camera Model:
EX-S600; Focal Length: 18.6mm (35mm equivalent: 114mm); Aperture:
f/5.2; Exposure Time: 0.0040 s (1/250); Exposure Bias: none; Metering
Mode: Matrix; Exposure: program (Auto); White Balance: Auto; Flash
Fired: No (enforced); Orientation: Normal; Color Space: sRGB.
* Panamint Delta Coordinates: 36.24194, -116.8258
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