California’s Death Valley is one of the hottest places on Earth and the lowest point in North America. For the last 100,000 years, this site was home to a dry lake. But now, “resurrected” thanks to the intense rains that fell last November.
As stated in the newspaper Los Angeles Timesthe lake, named Manly, was 160 kilometers long and 180 meters deep between 128,000 and 186,000 years ago, during the Ice Age.
Between last September and November, the park received 6.2 cm of rain, of which 4.4 cm were produced in November aloneaccording to the National Park Service. The wettest November recorded to date was 2913, with a cumulative 4.3 cm of rain.
The lake reappeared for the last time in 2023 after Hurricane Hilary which deteriorated into a posttropical depression before reaching southern California, dumping 2.2 inches of rain on the park and filling the basin.
water levels decreased until February 2024when an atmospheric river dumped an additional 1.5 inches of rain on the lake, making it deep enough for people to kayak.
NASA researchers found that the temporary lake had a depth of between 90 cm and less than 45 cm for about six weeks between February and March 2024.
However, the current situation is much more modest and experts believe it will dry out soon. “It’s the size of a lake, but it’s not deep… It’s more like the bed of a very large river with no current; a paddling pool, perhaps,” a park spokesperson said. Los Angeles Times.
About The Author
