Terrain analysis of the Racetrack Basin and the sliding rocks of Death Valley

Messina, Paula V.; Stoffer, Philip W.

doi:10.1016/s0169-555x(00)00042-8

Cited by 19 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…Racetrack Playa (DVNP) Racetrack Playa is a flat~4.5 km by 2 km lakebed at its widest part. It is perhaps most famous for its "sliding rocks," which are boulders and cobbles that apparently move across the surface of the playa leaving clear trails [e.g., Sharp and Carey, 1976;Reid et al, 1995;Messina and Stoffer, 2000;Lorenz and Jackson [2014]; Norris et al [2014]]. The playa has even been suggested as an analogue for hydrocarbon lakes on Titan [Lorenz et al, 2010].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Field investigation of dried lakes in western United States as an analogue to desiccation fractures on Mars

et al. 2015

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Potential Desiccation Polygons (PDPs), tens to hundreds of meters in size, have been observed in numerous regions on Mars, particularly in ancient (>3 Gyr old) terrains of inferred paleolacustrine/playa geologic setting, and in association with hydrous minerals such as smectites. Therefore, a better understanding of the conditions in which large desiccation polygons form could yield unique insight into the ancient climate on Mars. Many dried lakebeds/playas in western United States display large (>50 m wide) desiccation polygons, which we consider to be analogues for PDPs on Mars. Therefore, we have carried out fieldwork in seven of these dried lakes in San Bernardino and the Death Valley National Park regions complemented with laboratory and spectral analysis of collected samples. Our study shows that the investigated lacustrine/playa sediments have (a) a soil matrix containing ~40–75% clays and fine silt (by volume) where the clay minerals are dominated by illite/muscovite followed by smectite, (b) carbonaceous mineralogy with variable amounts of chloride and sulfate salts, and significantly, (c) roughly similar spectral signatures in the visible‐near‐infrared (VIS‐NIR) range. We conclude that the development of large desiccation fractures is consistent with water table retreat. In addition, the comparison of the mineralogical to the spectral observations further suggests that remote sensing VIS‐NIR spectroscopy has its limitations for detailed characterization of lacustrine/playa deposits. Finally, our results imply that the widespread distribution of PDPs on Mars indicates global or regional climatic transitions from wet conditions to more arid ones making them important candidate sites for future in situ missions.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Field investigation of dried lakes in western United States as an analogue to desiccation fractures on Mars

et al. 2015

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“…These trails suggest that the rocks have moved across the surface at some speed when the playa was wet. Much attention has been directed toward documenting the rocks and their movements (e.g., Kirk 1952; Sharp and Carey 1976;Reid et al 1995;Messina and Stoffer 2000), which are apparently caused by wind and possibly facilitated in some instances by ice formations around the rocks. However, in situ meteorological data at the playa (reached by a sometimes-closed 25-mile dirt road) are not available and observations of how frequently the playa is flooded, muddy, or frozen are lacking.…”

Section: Playa Lake Observationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Inexpensive Time-Lapse Digital Cameras for Studying Transient Meteorological Phenomena: Dust Devils and Playa Flooding

Lorenz

Jackson

Barnes

2010

Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology

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The authors describe the design and performance of inexpensive and compact time-lapse cameras suitable for field deployment in remote locations for long periods and their application to studying two time-variable meteorological phenomena in arid regions: desert dust devils and transient flooding of playa lakes. The camera units (with a total parts cost of ;$80) are based around commercial ''point and shoot'' digital cameras, storing ;1500 images on a solid-state memory card over a period between an hour to several months powered by alkaline batteries. A microcontroller can trigger image acquisition based on sensor inputs or at regular intervals. Some example results are presented, showing an association of cumulus clouds with thermals from dust devils, a region of dust enhancement around a dust devil, and a dramatic range of conditions at Racetrack Playa in Death Valley National Park. Alternative systems and applications are also discussed.

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“…The study provides a useful modern analogue for similar structures that are commonly found in the rock record but may be easily confused with aeolian adhesion structures. Other studies of contemporary processes include Menking et al (2000) who describe relationships between standing water cover and evaporation rates in groundwater discharge playas in the Estancia Basin, New Mexico, USA, and Messina and Stoffer (2000) who discuss possible processes influencing the movement of the sliding rocks on Racetrack Playa, Death Valley.…”

Section: Desert Playas Playa Lakes and Sabkhas: Present-day And Pmentioning

confidence: 99%

Arid geomorphology

Nash

2001

Progress in Physical Geography: Earth and Environment

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I Desert surfaces and weathering: processes and productsDesert surfaces and their associated weathering processes have continued to attract attention over the past year. Research into surface characteristics includes studies of microbiotic crusts, desert pavements and coatings such as rock varnish. Kidron et al. (2000) present an interesting study of the factors influencing the formation of cyanobacterial-and moss-dominated crusts in the western Negev Desert, Israel, concluding that aspect-controlled surface moisture duration was the key influence upon crust development. Desert pavements have been used as a relative dating tool in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Oman (Al Farraj and Harvey, 2000), with pavement development shown to be closely linked to the age of particular landscape components. Three key papers describe the development and significance of terrestrial and extraterrestrial rock varnishes, including an extremely useful review of the history of dating varnishes by Watchman (2000). Analyses of laminae within rock varnish samples from Nevada, USA (Liu et al., 2000), reveal that Mn-rich layers developed during relatively wetter conditions between 10 and 11 ka BP corresponding to a regional end-Pleistocene wet event. Varnishes exposed at the Martian Pathfinder site have also been used as a means of identifying the effectiveness of aeolian abrasion processes on the surface of Mars, confirming previous studies that postulated that the Pathfinder area lacked efficient abrasive particles (Kraft and Greeley, 2000).Amongst the various publications concerning weathering processes, greatest attention has been paid to the weathering of limestone and the operation of biological weathering mechanisms. Smith et al. (2000) describe polygenetic active and inactive weathering features arising from a complex suite of interacting processes, including solution, salt weathering and attack by endolithic and epilithic algae, operating at the microscale within pits and pans on limestone surfaces in southern Tunisia. This study confirms the need for weathering studies to focus upon conditions operating at the microscale across the rock/air interface identified within the last progress report . Polyphase karstic surface development is also the subject of a study in the UAE

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Terrain analysis of the Racetrack Basin and the sliding rocks of Death Valley

Cited by 19 publications

References 11 publications

Field investigation of dried lakes in western United States as an analogue to desiccation fractures on Mars

Field investigation of dried lakes in western United States as an analogue to desiccation fractures on Mars

Inexpensive Time-Lapse Digital Cameras for Studying Transient Meteorological Phenomena: Dust Devils and Playa Flooding

Arid geomorphology

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