Tom Schweich  

North Junction: West Wide Road

About 1.5 km to the west, a 186-m-long core, known as DV93-1, was drilled in the interbedded salt and mud of Badwater Basin. The cored sediments contain a 200 k.y. record of closed-basin environments and paleoclimates ranging from dry mudflats, similar to the modern floor of Death Valley, to temperate-climate, deep perennial lakes. The 200 k.y. paleoclimate record of Death Valley is dominated by two dry and/or warm and wet/cold cycles that occurred on a 100 k.y. time scale. Of particular importance are the major lacustrine phases at 10 to 35 ka and 120 to 186 ka, which represent markedly colder and wetter conditions than those in modern Death Valley. Of the two perennial lake periods, the penultimate period had deeper and far longer lasting lakes than the last glacial lake (Lowenstein, et al., 1999).

Reports of Bacteria and Archaea cultured from halite crystals, some more than 250 m.y. old, are at the center of the debate about longterm survival of microorganisms on Earth and elsewhere in the solar system. Schubert, et al. (2009) report non-spore-forming halophilic Archaea cultured from 22–34 k.y. old halite from core DV93-1. Reproducible growth of non-spore-forming halophilic Archaea from ancient halite indicates that dormancy is not required for long-term survival. Rather, miniaturized prokaryotes may be better suited to long-term survival because their low level metabolic activity and small size preserve the finite nutrients available in a fluid inclusion. Glycerol, produced by associated Dunaliella cells, may provide the energy required for these prokaryotes to maintain metabolic processes in fluid inclusions for extended periods.

Salt formation at Badwater.

At Badwater and Mormon Point, the detachments and hanging walls of the Black Mountains fault zone is exposed above the valley floor (Hayman, et al., 2003).

At Mormon Point and Badwater, the detachments and hanging walls of the Black Mountains fault zone is exposed above the valley floor (Hayman, et al., 2003).

South Junction: West Wide Road