Dawn in the Badlands at Zabriskie Point in Death Valley, Nevada, immerses the landscape in a unique atmosphere. The wind reaches storm intensity to compensate for the extreme temperature differences between the hot valley floor and the rather cool air of the elevated surroundings. A deep sense of majesty and magical light spread across the valley.
The Badlands consist of hardened mud with a high clay content, which prevents water from penetrating the ground. In this region, precipitation usually occurs during short but intense thunderstorms. This precipitation-driven erosion forms the Badlands.
Nine million years ago, this area was covered by Furnace Creek Lake. Salty mud deposits containing gravel from the weathering of the surrounding mountains, as well as ash layers from the volcanic field of the Black Mountains, accumulated on its bottom. The climate was dry, but by no means as deadly hot as it is today. A large number of animals left their traces in the mud along the lake shore. Hot springs on the lake bed and volcanic activity altered the deposited sediments and caused their intense color variations.
As Death Valley continued to sink and the mountain ranges on both sides of the valley widened, the climate became increasingly hotter and drier. Five million years ago, Furnace Creek Lake finally dried up. The formation of the rift valley tilted the sediments and exposed the relief to erosion by short but torrential thunderstorms, which shaped the Badlands.
