Delores Pratt, age 13, of Glendale, Ariz., for her question:
WHERE IS THE LOWEST SPOT IN THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE?
Lowest land surface in the Western Hemisphere is 282 feet below sea level. You'll find this spot near a salt pond called Badwater in the southeastern California desert basin called Death Valley. Death Valley also has another record going for it: It is the hottest spot in the country. During the summer, temperatures routinely hit 120 degrees Fahrenheit. A record for the highest temperature ever recorded in the United States was established in Death Valley on July 10, 1913. It was 134.
It is also one of the driest places in North America. Less than two inches of rain fall in Death Valley each year.
Death Valley was named by a group of settlers and prospectors looking for gold. In 1849 they crossed the mountains and struggled across the valley. They survived the ordeal, but when they were finally rescued they said, "We have been delivered from this valley of death."
Death Valley is anything but dead. It is a wonderful desert that is alive with plants and animals that are able to live under the very harsh conditions found in an area that is 140 miles long and ranges in width from four to 16 miles. There are reptiles, rabbits, coyotes, foxes, rats and squirrels.
Parts of Death Valley look like you'd imagine a moonscape to look.
The area was declared a National Monument in 1933 and since then it has been administered by the National Park Service. The Death Valley National Monument includes nearby mountains and extends into Nevada. The region is about 3,000 square miles in size.
On the west is the Panamint range and on the east the Amargosa range.
About 550 square miles of the valley floor are at elevations below sea level. An impressive marker points out the record 282 foot lowest spot.
There's an overlook called Dante's View in Death Valley. From here it is possible to look down to Badwater and see the lowest spot in the United States and then turn the other way to see Mount Whitney, the highest point.
Death Valley has many outstanding landscape features. Included are some volcanic cinder cones, the largest of which is called Ubehebe Crater. There are also many sand dunes, lava flows and salt ponds.
One area is called Artists' Palette. It is a rock formation made up of many varied colors. This display was caused by oxidized minerals.
Another area features jagged, crystal like salt formations. It is called the Devil's Golf Course.
Panamint Indians lived in the valley before the white men arrived. Also, for many years the mineral borax was mined in Death Valley and hauled out by wagons pulled by 20 mule teams. The deposits were discovered in 1873.
Death Valley is a popular winter resort location. The region's outstanding geological attractions and the warm winter sun bring many visitors. A number of pleasant hotels offer accommodations.