Zabriskie Point, Death Valley National Park, California, United States
Zabriskie Point is a part of the Amargosa Range located east of Death Valley National Park in California, United States, noted for its erosive landscape. Named in honor of Christian Zabriskie (1864-1936), a prominent figure in the heyday of the Pacific Coast Borax company. He was active in the Death Valley region since the 1890's. Zabriskie Point offers an elevated vista from which to marvel at the badlands below.
The depth and shape of Death Valley influence it's summer temperature. The Valley is a long, narrow basin 282 feet (86 meter) below sea level, yet is walled by high, steep mountain ranges.
The colorful sunrise and diffuse light provide an excellent backdrop to the finely-sculpted badlands. Weathering and alteration by thermal water are responsible for the variety of colors.
The oldest rocks in the area that now includes Death Valley National Park are extensively metamorphosed by intense heat and pressure and are at least 1700 million years old. These rocks were intruded by a mass of granite 1400 million years ago and later uplifted and exposed to nearly 500 million years of erosion.
Millions of year's prior to the actual sinking and widening of Death Valley and the existence of lake Manly, another lake covered a large portion of Death Valley including the area around Zabriskie Point. The ancient lake was here approximately 9 million years ago. During the several million years of the lake's existence, sediments were collecting at the bottom in the form of saline muds, gravels from nearby mountains, and ashfalls from the then active Black Mountain volcanic field. These sediments combined to form what we today call the Furnace Creek formation. Regional mountains building to the west influenced the climate to become more and more arid, causing the lake to dry up - creating a playa. Subsequent widening and sinking of Death Valley and the additional uplift of today's Black Mountains tilted the area. This provided the necessary means to accomplish the erosion that produced today's badlands.
