View source for Death Valley National Park

{{short description|National park in California and Nevada, United States}}
{{featured article}}
{{Use American English|date=July 2025}}
{{use mdy dates|date=August 2022}}
{{Infobox protected area
 | name              = Death Valley National Park
 | iucn_category     = II
 | iucn_ref          = <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.protectedplanet.net/367731|title=Death Valley|publisher=Protected Planet|website=protectedplanet.net|access-date=2020-05-29}}</ref>
 | photo             = Mesquite Sand Dunes in Death Valley.jpg
 | photo_caption     = Sand dunes in Death Valley National Park
<!-- | map               = California#USA
 | relief            = 1 -->
 | map_caption       = Location in California##Location in the United States
 | label             = Death Valley
 | label_position    = left
 | location          = [[California]] and [[Nevada]], United States
 | nearest_city      = [[Lone Pine, California]]<br />[[Beatty, Nevada]]
 | coordinates       = {{coord|36|14|31|N|116|49|33|W|display=inline, title}}
 | area_acre         = 3422024
 | area_ref          = <ref name="acreage">{{NPS area|2012|access-date=2014-03-16}}</ref>
 | established       = {{start date|1933|2|11}} as a national monument<br />{{start date|1994|10|31}} as a national park<ref name="NPSindex"/>
 | visitation_num    = 1,128,862
 | visitation_year   = 2022
 | visitation_ref    = <ref name="visits">{{NPS visitation|access-date=2023-07-25}}</ref>
 | governing_body    = [[National Park Service]]
 | website           = {{URL|https://www.nps.gov/deva/index.htm}}
}}

'''Death Valley National Park''' is a [[List of national parks of the United States|national park of the United States]] that straddles the [[California]]–[[Nevada]] border, east of the [[Sierra Nevada]]. The park boundaries include [[Death Valley]], the northern section of [[Panamint Valley]], the southern section of [[Eureka Valley (Inyo County)|Eureka Valley]] and most of [[Saline Valley, California|Saline Valley]].

The park occupies an interface zone between the arid [[Great Basin Desert|Great Basin]] and [[Mojave Desert|Mojave]] deserts, protecting the northwest corner of the Mojave Desert and its diverse environment of [[Salt pan (geology)|salt-flat]]s, sand [[dune]]s, [[badlands]], valleys, canyons and mountains.

Death Valley is the largest national park in the [[contiguous United States]], as well as the hottest, driest and lowest of all the national parks in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/deva/index.htm|title=Death Valley National Park (U.S. National Park Service)|publisher=National Park Service|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170126142816/https://www.nps.gov/deva/index.htm|archive-date=2017-01-26|url-status=live|access-date=2017-01-26}}</ref> It contains [[Badwater Basin]], the second-lowest point in the Western Hemisphere and lowest in [[North America]] at {{convert|282|ft|m}} below sea level. More than 93% of the park is a designated [[U.S. Wilderness Area|wilderness area]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/deva/planyourvisit/backcountryroads.htm|title=Backcountry Roads – Death Valley National Park|publisher=National Park Service|date=August 25, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112011849/https://www.nps.gov/deva/planyourvisit/backcountryroads.htm|archive-date=2020-11-12|url-status=live|access-date=2020-12-07}}</ref>

The park is home to many species of plants and animals which have adapted to the harsh [[desert]] environment including [[Larrea tridentata|creosote bush]], [[Yucca brevifolia|Joshua tree]], [[bighorn sheep]], [[coyote]], and the endangered [[Death Valley pupfish]], a survivor from much wetter times. [[UNESCO]] included Death Valley as the principal feature of its [[Mojave and Colorado Deserts Biosphere Reserve]] in 1984.<ref>[http://www.unesco.org/mabdb/br/brdir/directory/biores.asp?code=USA+39&mode=all "Biosphere Reserve Information – United States of America – Mojave and Colorado Deserts"]. ''unesco.org''. [[UNESCO]]. November 3, 2005. Retrieved June 22, 2018.</ref>

A series of [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] groups inhabited the area from as early as 7000&nbsp;BCE, most recently the [[Timbisha]] around 1000&nbsp;CE who migrated between winter camps in the valleys and summer grounds in the mountains. A group of European-Americans, lost in the valley in 1849 while looking for a shortcut to the [[California Gold Rush|gold fields of California]], gave this valley its grim name, even though only one of their group died there.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dotson |first=Danny |title=Research Guides: National Parks: Death Valley National Park |url=https://guides.osu.edu/c.php?g=870252&p=6652986 |access-date=2024-06-03 |website=guides.osu.edu}}</ref>

Several short-lived [[boomtown|boom town]]s sprang up during the late 19th and early 20th centuries to mine gold and silver. The only long-term profitable [[ore]] to be mined was [[borax]], which was transported out of the valley with [[twenty-mule team]]s. The valley later became the subject of books, radio programs, television series, and movies. Tourism expanded in the 1920s when resorts were built around [[Stovepipe Wells, California|Stovepipe Wells]] and [[Furnace Creek, California|Furnace Creek]]. Death Valley National Monument was declared in 1933 and the park was substantially expanded and became a national park in 1994.<ref name="NPSindex">[[#NPSindex|National Park Index (2001–2003)]], p. 26</ref>

The natural environment of the area has been shaped largely by its geology. The valley is actually a [[graben]] with the oldest [[rock (geology)|rock]]s being extensively [[metamorphism|metamorphosed]] and at least 1.7&nbsp;billion years old.<ref name="Wright1997p611"/> Ancient, warm, shallow seas deposited marine sediments until [[rift]]ing opened the [[Pacific Ocean]]. Additional sedimentation occurred until a [[subduction]] zone formed off the coast. The subduction [[Orogeny|uplifted]] the region out of the sea and created a line of [[volcano]]es. Later the [[crust (geology)|crust]] started to pull apart, creating the current [[Basin and Range Province|Basin and Range]] landform. Valleys filled with sediment and, during the wet times of [[glacial period]]s, with lakes, such as [[Lake Manly]].

Death Valley is the fifth-largest American national park and the largest in the contiguous United States. It is also larger than the states of [[Rhode Island]] and [[Delaware]] combined, and nearly as large as [[Puerto Rico]].<ref name="acreage report">{{cite web |date=December 31, 2021 |title=National Park Service Acreage Reports |url=https://www.nps.gov/subjects/lwcf/acreagereports.htm |access-date=February 28, 2022 |publisher=National Park Service |quote=Acreage report for calendar year ending December 31, 2021. The leftmost column titled "Gross Area Acres" under the "Listing of Acreage" tab was utilized as the source.}}</ref> In 2013, Death Valley National Park was designated as a [[dark-sky preserve|dark sky park]] by the [[International Dark-Sky Association]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Death Valley National Park (U.S.)|url=https://www.darksky.org/our-work/conservation/idsp/parks/deathvalley/|access-date=2020-12-07|publisher=International Dark-Sky Association|website=darksky.org|date=n.d.|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201027202532/https://www.darksky.org/our-work/conservation/idsp/parks/deathvalley/|archive-date=2020-10-27}}</ref>

==Geographic setting==
There are two major valleys in the park, [[Death Valley]] and [[Panamint Valley]]. Both of these valleys were formed within the last few million years and both are bounded by north–south-trending [[mountain range]]s.<ref name="Sharp1997p1"/> These and adjacent valleys follow the general trend of [[Basin and range topography|Basin and Range topography]] with one modification: there are parallel [[strike-slip fault]]s that perpendicularly bound the central extent of Death Valley. The result of this shearing action is additional extension in the central part of Death Valley which causes a slight widening and more subsidence there.

Uplift of surrounding mountain ranges and subsidence of the valley floor are both occurring. The uplift on the Black Mountains is so fast that the [[alluvial fan]]s (fan-shaped deposits at the mouth of canyons) there are small and steep compared to the huge alluvial fans coming off the [[Panamint Range]]. Fast uplift of a mountain range in an arid environment often does not allow its canyons enough time to cut a classic V-shape all the way down to the stream bed. Instead, a V-shape ends at a [[slot canyon]] halfway down, forming a 'wine glass canyon.'  Sediment is deposited on a small and steep alluvial fan.

At {{convert|282|ft|m}} below [[sea level]] at its lowest point,<ref name=NED>{{cite web|url=https://catalog.data.gov/dataset/usgs-national-elevation-dataset-ned-1-meter-downloadable-data-collection-from-the-national-map-|title=USGS National Elevation Dataset (NED) 1 meter Downloadable Data Collection from The National Map 3D Elevation Program (3DEP)|publisher=United States Geological Survey|date=September 21, 2015|access-date=September 22, 2015|archive-date=March 25, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190325085854/https://catalog.data.gov/dataset/usgs-national-elevation-dataset-ned-1-meter-downloadable-data-collection-from-the-national-map-|url-status=dead}}</ref> Badwater Basin on Death Valley's floor is the second-lowest depression in the Western Hemisphere (behind [[Laguna del Carbón]] in [[Argentina]]), while [[Mount Whitney]], only {{convert|85|mi|km}} to the west, rises to {{convert|14505|ft|m}} and is the tallest mountain in the [[contiguous United States]].<ref name="Sharp1997p1">{{harvnb|Sharp|1997|p=1}}</ref> This topographic relief is the greatest elevation gradient in the [[contiguous United States]] and is the terminus point of the [[Great Basin]]'s southwestern drainage.<ref name="Wright1997p611"/> Although the extreme lack of water in the Great Basin makes this distinction of little current practical use, it does mean that in wetter times the lake that once filled Death Valley ([[Lake Manly]]) was the last stop for water flowing in the region, meaning the water there was saturated in dissolved materials. Thus, the [[salt pan (geology)|salt pan]]s in Death Valley are among the largest in the world and are rich in minerals, such as [[borax]] and various salts and [[hydrate]]s.<ref name="Wright1997p625">{{harvnb|Wright and Miller|1997|p=625}}</ref> The largest salt pan in the park extends {{convert|40|mi|km}} from the [[Ashford Mill (California)|Ashford Mill Site]] to the Salt Creek Hills, covering some {{convert|200|sqmi|km2}} of the valley floor.<ref name="Wright1997p625"/><ref group=note>Badwater, the Devils Golf Course, and Salt Creek are all part of the Death Valley Saltpan.</ref> The best known [[Dry lake|playa]] in the park is the [[Racetrack Playa|Racetrack]], known for its moving rocks.{{clear}}

==Climate==

[[File:DevaxsectSM.svg|right|thumb|upright=1.8|A cross section through the highest and lowest points in Death Valley National Park]]

According to the [[Köppen climate classification]] system, Death Valley National Park has a hot desert climate (''BWh''). The [[plant hardiness zone]] at Badwater Basin is 9b with an average annual extreme minimum temperature of {{convert|28|°F|1}}.<ref name="USDA">{{cite web|url=https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/|publisher=[[United States Department of Agriculture]]|access-date=2019-07-03|title=USDA Interactive Plant Hardiness Map|archive-date=July 4, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190704214427/https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/phzmweb/interactivemap.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref>

Death Valley is the hottest and driest place in North America due to its lack of surface water and low relief. It is so frequently the hottest spot in the United States that many tabulations of the highest daily temperatures in the country omit Death Valley as a matter of course.<ref>Hickcox, David H., "Temperature extremes. (United States) (1996 Weather)", ''Weatherwise'', February 1, 1997. Abstract [https://web.archive.org/web/20061219142352/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-19457857.html here]</ref><ref>Hickcox, David, "Temperature extremes. (daily maximum and minimum temperatures in the US)", ''Weatherwise'', March 1, 1999; abstract at [http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-54311958.html Encyclopedia.com]</ref>

On the afternoon of July 10, 1913, the [[National Weather Service|United States Weather Bureau]] recorded a high temperature of {{convert|134|°F|1}} at Greenland Ranch (now [[Furnace Creek, California|Furnace Creek]]) in Death Valley.<ref name=WorldHighTemp>{{cite web|title=World Meteorological Organization World Weather/Climate Extremes Archive |url=http://wmo.asu.edu/world-highest-temperature |access-date=10 January 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130104143844/http://wmo.asu.edu/world-highest-temperature |archive-date=4 January 2013 }}</ref> This temperature stands as the highest ambient air temperature ever recorded at the surface of the Earth. (A report of a temperature of {{convert|136|°F|1}} recorded in Libya in 1922 was later determined to be inaccurate.)<ref name=El_Azizia>{{cite journal|last=El Fadli|first=KI|title=World Meteorological Organization Assessment of the Purported World Record 58°C Temperature Extreme at El Azizia, Libya (13 September 1922)|journal=Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society|date=September 2012|doi=10.1175/BAMS-D-12-00093.1|volume=94|issue=2|page=199|display-authors=etal|bibcode=2013BAMS...94..199E|doi-access=free}}</ref> Daily summer temperatures of {{convert|120|°F|1}} or greater are common, as well as below freezing nightly temperatures in the winter.<ref name="Wright1997p611">{{harvnb|Wright and Miller|1997|p=611}}</ref> July is the hottest month, with an average high of {{convert|117|°F|1}} and an average low of {{convert|91|°F|1}}. December is the coldest month, with an average high of {{convert|66|°F|1}} and an average low of {{convert|41|°F}}. The record low is {{convert|15|°F|1}}. There are an average of 197.3 days annually with highs of {{convert|90|°F|1}} or higher and 146.9 days annually with highs of {{convert|100|°F|1}} or higher. Freezing temperatures of {{convert|32|°F}} or lower occur on an average of 8.6 days annually.

Several of the larger Death Valley springs derive their water from a regional [[aquifer]], which extends as far east as southern [[Nevada]] and [[Utah]]. Much of the water in this aquifer has been there for many thousands of years, since the [[Quaternary glaciation|Pleistocene ice ages]], when the [[climate]] was cooler and wetter. Today's drier climate does not provide enough precipitation to recharge the aquifer at the rate at which water is being withdrawn.<ref name="FocusWater">{{harvnb|USGS|2004|p="Furnace Creek"}}</ref>

[[File:TelescopePeak031411.jpg|thumb|left|[[Telescope Peak]]]]
The highest range within the park is the Panamint Range, with [[Telescope Peak]] being its highest point at {{convert|11049|ft|m}}.<ref name="Wright1997p611"/> The Death Valley region is a transitional zone in the northernmost part of the [[Mojave Desert]] and consists of five mountain ranges removed from the Pacific Ocean. Three of these are significant barriers: the [[Sierra Nevada]], the [[Argus Range]], and the Panamint Range. Air masses tend to lose moisture as they are forced up over mountain ranges, in what climatologists call a [[rainshadow effect]].

The exaggerated [[rain shadow]] effect for the Death Valley area makes it [[North America]]'s driest spot, receiving about {{convert|1.5|in|1}} of rainfall annually at Badwater, and some years fail to register any measurable rainfall.<ref>{{harvnb|Wright and Miller|1997|pp=610–611}}</ref> Annual average precipitation varies from {{convert|1.92|in|1}} overall below sea level to over {{convert|15|in}} in the higher mountains that surround the valley.<ref name="USGSweather">[[#USGSweather|USGS weather]]</ref> When rain does arrive it often does so in intense storms that cause [[flash flood]]s which remodel the landscape and sometimes create very shallow ephemeral lakes.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/deva/learn/nature/flood-2015.htm|title=Flash Floods of 2015 – Death Valley National Park (U.S. National Park Service)|publisher=National Park Service|access-date=2018-02-03}}</ref>

[[File:LakeBadwater crop.jpg|thumb|[[Badwater Basin|Lake Badwater]], March 2005]]
The hot, dry climate makes it difficult for soil to form. [[Mass wasting]], the down-slope movement of loose rock, is therefore the dominant erosive force in mountainous areas, resulting in "skeletonized" ranges (mountains with very little soil on them). [[Dune|Sand dune]]s in the park, while famous, are not nearly as widespread as their fame or the dryness of the area may suggest. The Mesquite Flat dune field is the most easily accessible from the paved road just east of Stovepipe Wells in the north-central part of the valley and is primarily made of [[quartz]] sand. Another dune field is just {{convert|10|mi|km}} to the north but is instead mostly composed of [[travertine]] sand.<ref name="Kiver1999p2783">{{harvnb|Kiver|1999|p=283}}</ref> The highest dunes in the park, and some of the highest in North America, are located in the [[Eureka Valley Sand Dunes|Eureka Valley]] about {{convert|50|mi}} to the north of Stovepipe Wells, while the [[Panamint Valley]] dunes and the [[Saline Valley, California|Saline Valley]] dunes are located west and northwest of the town, respectively. The Ibex dune field is near the seldom-visited Ibex Hill in the southernmost part of the park, just south of the Saratoga Springs marshland. All the latter four dune fields are accessible only via unpaved roads. Prevailing winds in the winter come from the north, and prevailing winds in the summer come from the south. Thus, the overall position of the dune fields remains more or less fixed.

There are rare exceptions to the dry nature of the area. In 2005, an unusually wet winter created a 'lake' in the Badwater Basin and led to the greatest wildflower season in the park's history.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna7182113 |title=Death Valles Alive with Wildflowers |agency=Associated Press |date=March 14, 2005 |publisher=NBC News |access-date=July 31, 2019 }}</ref> In October 2015, a "1000 year flood event" with over three inches of rain caused major damage in Death Valley National Park.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.latimes.com/science/la-me-adv-death-valley-floods-20151110-story.html|title=After historic flooding, Death Valley gears up for 'a long, hard recovery'|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=2015-11-10|access-date=2016-05-11}}</ref> A similar widespread storm in August 2022 damaged pavement and deposited debris on nearly every road, trapping 1,000 residents and visitors overnight.<ref name="LAT 2022-08-07">{{Cite news |last1=Wigglesworth |first1=Alex |last2=Ryan |first2=Harriet |date=2022-08-07 |title=Destructive rain in Death Valley and flooded Vegas casinos mark a summer of extreme weather |url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-08-06/as-death-valley-dries-off-from-near-record-rains-some-see-fingerprints-of-climate-change |access-date=2022-08-07 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times}}</ref>

{{Weather box
| width = auto
| location = Death Valley National Park, California, 1991–2020 normals,{{efn|Mean maxima and minima (i.e. the highest and lowest temperature readings during an entire month or year) calculated based on data at said location from 1991 to 2020.}} extremes 1911–present
| single line = Y
| Jan high F = 67.2
| Feb high F = 73.7
| Mar high F = 82.6
| Apr high F = 91.0
| May high F = 100.7
| Jun high F = 111.1
| Jul high F = 117.4
| Aug high F = 115.9
| Sep high F = 107.7
| Oct high F = 93.3
| Nov high F = 77.4
| Dec high F = 65.6
| year high F = 92.0
| Jan mean F = 54.9
| Feb mean F = 61.3
| Mar mean F = 69.8
| Apr mean F = 77.9
| May mean F = 87.8
| Jun mean F = 97.5
| Jul mean F = 104.2
| Aug mean F = 102.3
| Sep mean F = 93.4
| Oct mean F = 78.9
| Nov mean F = 64.0
| Dec mean F = 53.4
| year mean F = 78.8
| Jan low F = 42.5
| Feb low F = 49.0
| Mar low F = 57.1
| Apr low F = 64.8
| May low F = 75.0
| Jun low F = 84.0
| Jul low F = 91.0
| Aug low F = 88.7
| Sep low F = 79.1
| Oct low F = 64.4
| Nov low F = 50.5
| Dec low F = 41.1
| year low F = 65.6
| Jan record high F = 90
| Feb record high F = 97
| Mar record high F = 103
| Apr record high F = 113
| May record high F = 122
| Jun record high F = 129
| Jul record high F = 134
| Aug record high F = 130
| Sep record high F = 127
| Oct record high F = 114
| Nov record high F = 98
| Dec record high F = 89
| year record high F = 
| Jan avg record high F = 78.4
| Feb avg record high F = 85.1
| Mar avg record high F = 95.4
| Apr avg record high F = 106.0
| May avg record high F = 113.6
| Jun avg record high F = 122.0
| Jul avg record high F = 125.9
| Aug avg record high F = 123.4
| Sep avg record high F = 118.1
| Oct avg record high F = 106.2
| Nov avg record high F = 90.0
| Dec avg record high F = 77.8
| year avg record high F = 126.7
| Jan avg record low F = 30.5
| Feb avg record low F = 36.1
| Mar avg record low F = 42.8
| Apr avg record low F = 49.8
| May avg record low F = 58.5
| Jun avg record low F = 67.9
| Jul avg record low F = 78.3
| Aug avg record low F = 75.3
| Sep avg record low F = 65.4
| Oct avg record low F = 49.5
| Nov avg record low F = 35.9
| Dec avg record low F = 29.0
| year avg record low F = 28.0
| Jan record low F = 15
| Feb record low F = 20
| Mar record low F = 26
| Apr record low F = 35
| May record low F = 42
| Jun record low F = 49
| Jul record low F = 62
| Aug record low F = 65
| Sep record low F = 41
| Oct record low F = 32
| Nov record low F = 24
| Dec record low F = 19
| year record low F = 
| precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation inch = 0.37
| Feb precipitation inch = 0.52
| Mar precipitation inch = 0.25
| Apr precipitation inch = 0.10
| May precipitation inch = 0.03
| Jun precipitation inch = 0.05
| Jul precipitation inch = 0.10
| Aug precipitation inch = 0.10
| Sep precipitation inch = 0.20
| Oct precipitation inch = 0.12
| Nov precipitation inch = 0.10
| Dec precipitation inch = 0.26
| year precipitation inch = 2.20
| unit precipitation days = 0.01 in
| Jan precipitation days = 2.4
| Feb precipitation days = 2.9
| Mar precipitation days = 2.0
| Apr precipitation days = 1.1
| May precipitation days = 0.9
| Jun precipitation days = 0.3
| Jul precipitation days = 1.1
| Aug precipitation days = 0.9
| Sep precipitation days = 0.8
| Oct precipitation days = 1.1
| Nov precipitation days = 0.9
| Dec precipitation days = 1.6
| year precipitation days = 16.0
| Jan snow inch = 
| Feb snow inch = 
| Mar snow inch = 
| Apr snow inch = 
| May snow inch = 
| Jun snow inch = 
| Jul snow inch = 
| Aug snow inch = 
| Sep snow inch = 
| Oct snow inch = 
| Nov snow inch = 
| Dec snow inch = 
| year snow inch = 
| unit snow days = 0.1 in
| Jan snow days = 
| Feb snow days = 
| Mar snow days = 
| Apr snow days = 
| May snow days = 
| Jun snow days = 
| Jul snow days = 
| Aug snow days = 
| Sep snow days = 
| Oct snow days = 
| Nov snow days = 
| Dec snow days = 
| year snow days = 
| source 1 = NOAA<ref>{{cite web
| url = https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=vef
| title = NOWData – NOAA Online Weather Data
| publisher = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]]
| access-date = June 12, 2021
| archive-date = July 21, 2021
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210721064827/https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=vef
| url-status = dead
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
| url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USC00042319&format=pdf
| title = Summary of Monthly Normals 1991–2020
| publisher = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]]
| access-date = June 12, 2021
}}</ref>
| source = 
}}

{{Weather box |width=auto
|location = Death Valley (Cow Creek Station)
|single line = yes
|collapsed = Y
|Jan record high F = 84
|Feb record high F = 89
|Mar record high F = 100
|Apr record high F = 110
|May record high F = 120
|Jun record high F = 125
|Jul record high F = 126
|Aug record high F = 125
|Sep record high F = 123
|Oct record high F = 111
|Nov record high F = 95
|Dec record high F = 84
|year record high F = 126
|Jan high F = 64.4
|Feb high F = 71.6
|Mar high F = 80.6
|Apr high F = 90.9
|May high F = 100.0
|Jun high F = 109.3
|Jul high F = 116.0
|Aug high F = 113.8
|Sep high F = 106.9
|Oct high F = 92.1
|Nov high F = 75.4
|Dec high F = 65.9
|year high F = 90.6
|Jan mean F = 52.5
|Feb mean F = 59.1
|Mar mean F = 67.4
|Apr mean F = 77.5
|May mean F = 86.4
|Jun mean F = 95.3
|Jul mean F = 102.1
|Aug mean F = 99.9
|Sep mean F = 92.1
|Oct mean F = 78.1
|Nov mean F = 62.3
|Dec mean F = 54.1
|year mean F = 77.2
|Jan low F = 40.6
|Feb low F = 46.6
|Mar low F = 54.3
|Apr low F = 64.1
|May low F = 72.7
|Jun low F = 81.2
|Jul low F = 88.4
|Aug low F = 86.0
|Sep low F = 77.4
|Oct low F = 64.0
|Nov low F = 49.3
|Dec low F = 42.4
|year low F = 63.9
|Jan record low F = 19
|Feb record low F = 30
|Mar record low F = 33
|Apr record low F = 45
|May record low F = 52
|Jun record low F = 54
|Jul record low F = 69
|Aug record low F = 69
|Sep record low F = 57
|Oct record low F = 40
|Nov record low F = 32
|Dec record low F = 27
|year record low F = 19
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation inch = 0.24
|Feb precipitation inch = 0.32
|Mar precipitation inch = 0.20
|Apr precipitation inch = 0.20
|May precipitation inch = 0.10
|Jun precipitation inch = 0.02
|Jul precipitation inch = 0.10
|Aug precipitation inch = 0.11
|Sep precipitation inch = 0.12
|Oct precipitation inch = 0.11
|Nov precipitation inch = 0.20
|Dec precipitation inch = 0.29
|year precipitation inch = 2.00
|source 1 = http://www.wrcc.dri.edu<ref>{{cite web|author=WRCC|title=Western U.S. Climate Historical Summaries Weather|url=http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?ca2092|publisher=Desert Research Institute|access-date=2009-06-03}}</ref>
|date=August 2010}}

==Human history==

[[File:Petroglyphs2-above Mesquite Springs-800px.JPG|thumb|[[Petroglyph]]s above Mesquite Springs]]

===Early inhabitants and transient populations===
Four [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] cultures are known to have lived in the area during the last 10,000&nbsp;years.<ref name="Wright1997p611"/> The first known group, the [[Nevares Spring People]], were [[hunters and gatherers]] who arrived in the area perhaps 9,000&nbsp;years ago (7000&nbsp;BC) when there were still small lakes in Death Valley and neighboring Panamint Valley.<ref name="Wallace1978">{{harvnb|Wallace|1978}}</ref> A much milder climate persisted at that time, and large game animals were still plentiful. By 5,000&nbsp;years ago (3000&nbsp;BC) the [[Mesquite Flat People]] displaced the Nevares Spring People.<ref name="Wallace1978"/> Around 2,000&nbsp;years ago the [[Saratoga Spring People]] moved into the area, which by then was probably already a hot, dry desert.<ref name="Wallace1978"/><ref group=note>The last known lake to exist in Death Valley likely dried up 3,000&nbsp;years ago.</ref> This culture was more advanced at hunting and gathering and was skillful at handcrafts. They also left mysterious stone patterns in the valley.

One thousand years ago, the nomadic [[Timbisha]] (formerly called Shoshone and also known as Panamint or Koso) moved into the area and hunted game and gathered [[mesquite]] beans along with [[pinyon pine]] nuts.<ref name="Wright1997p611"/><ref name="Wallace1978"/> Because of the wide altitude differential between the valley bottom and the mountain ridges, especially on the west, the Timbisha practiced a vertical migration pattern.<ref name="Wright1997p611"/> Their winter camps were located near water sources in the valley bottoms. As the spring and summer progressed and the weather warmed, grasses and other plant food sources ripened at progressively higher altitudes. November found them at the very top of the mountain ridges where they harvested pine nuts before moving back to the valley bottom for winter.<!--NEEDS CITE Several families of Timbisha still live within the park at [[Furnace Creek, California|Furnace Creek]] (Timbisha is the Native name of the village). The former village of Maahunu is located near [[Scotty's Castle]] but has been abandoned. Many of the baskets on display at the Castle were made by the Timbisha, who worked there as laborers and housekeepers before the National Park Service took over its care.-->

The [[California Gold Rush]] brought the first people of European descent known to visit the immediate area. In December 1849 two groups of [[California Gold Country]]-bound travelers with perhaps 100 wagons total stumbled into Death Valley after getting lost on what they thought was a shortcut off the [[Old Spanish Trail (trade route)|Old Spanish Trail]].<ref name="Kiver1999p277">{{harvnb|Kiver|1999|p=277}}</ref> Called the [[Death Valley '49ers|Bennett-Arcane Party]], they were unable to find a pass out of the valley for weeks; they were able to find fresh water at various springs in the area, but were forced to eat several of their oxen to survive. They used the wood of their wagons to cook the meat and make jerky. The place where they did this is today referred to as "Burnt Wagons Camp" and is located near Stovepipe Wells.

After abandoning their wagons, they eventually were able to hike out of the valley. Just after leaving the valley, one of the women in the group turned and said, "Goodbye Death Valley," giving the valley its name.<ref name="Kiver1999p277"/> Included in the party was [[William L. Manly|William Lewis Manly]] whose autobiographical book ''[[Death Valley in '49]]'' detailed this trek and popularized the area (geologists later named the prehistoric lake that once filled the valley after him).

===Boom and bust===
[[File:Death_Valley_Railroad_No_2-a.jpg|thumb|Historical locomotive for transporting [[borax]] in Death Valley]]
The ores that are most famously associated with the area were also the easiest to collect and the most profitable: evaporite deposits such as salts, [[borate]], and [[talc]]. Borax was found by Rosie and Aaron Winters near [[Oasis at Death Valley|The Ranch at Death Valley]] (then called Greenland) in 1881.<ref name="HarmonyBorax">{{harvnb|USGS|2004|p="Harmony Borax Works"}}</ref> Later that same year, the [[Eagle Borax Works]] became Death Valley's first commercial borax operation. [[William Tell Coleman]] built the [[Harmony Borax Works]] plant and began to process ore in late 1883 or early 1884, continuing until 1888.<ref name="NPSmining">[[#NPSwebsite|NPS website]], "Mining"</ref> This mining and smelting company produced borax to make [[soap]] and for industrial uses.<ref name="NPS20mule">[[#NPSwebsite|NPS website]], "Twenty Mule Teams"</ref> The end product was shipped out of the valley {{convert|165|mi|km}} to the [[Mojave, California|Mojave]] railhead in 10-ton-capacity wagons pulled by "[[twenty-mule team]]s" that were actually teams of 18 mules and two horses each.<ref name="NPS20mule" />

[[File:20 Mule Team in Death Valley.jpg|thumb|A twenty-mule team in Death Valley]]
The teams averaged {{convert|2|mi|km|spell=in}} an hour and required about 30&nbsp;days to complete a round trip.<ref name="HarmonyBorax"/> The trade name [[Twenty-Mule-Team Borax|''20-Mule Team Borax'']] was established by [[Francis Marion Smith]]'s [[Pacific Coast Borax Company]] after Smith acquired Coleman's borax holdings in 1890. A memorable advertising campaign used the wagon's image to promote the [[Boraxo]] brand of granular hand soap and the [[Death Valley Days]] radio and television programs. In 1914, the [[Death Valley Railroad]] was built to serve mining operations on the east side of the valley. Mining continued after the collapse of Coleman's empire, and by the late 1920s the area was the world's number one source of borax.<ref name="Wright1997p611"/> Some four to six million years old, the Furnace Creek Formation is the primary source of borate minerals gathered from Death Valley's playas.<ref name="HarmonyBorax"/>

Other visitors stayed to prospect for and mine deposits of [[copper]], [[gold]], [[lead]], and [[silver]].<ref name="Wright1997p611"/> These sporadic mining ventures were hampered by their remote location and the harsh desert environment. In December 1903, two men from Ballarat were prospecting for silver.<ref name="NPSpeople">[[#NPSwebsite|NPS website]], "People"</ref> One was an out-of-work Irish miner named Jack Keane and the other was a one-eyed Basque butcher named Domingo Etcharren. Quite by accident, Keane discovered an immense ledge of free-milling gold by the duo's work site and named the claim the [[Keane Wonder Mine]]. This started a minor and short-lived [[gold rush]] into the area.<ref name="NPSpeople"/> The Keane Wonder Mine, along with mines at [[Rhyolite, Nevada|Rhyolite]], [[Skidoo, California|Skidoo]] and [[Harrisburg, Inyo County, California|Harrisburg]], were the only ones to extract enough metal ore to make them worthwhile. Outright shams such as [[Leadfield, California|Leadfield]] also occurred, but most ventures quickly ended after a short series of prospecting mines failed to yield evidence of significant ore (these mines now dot the entire area and are a significant hazard to anyone who enters them). The boom towns which sprang up around these mines flourished during the first decade of the 1900s, but soon declined after the [[Panic of 1907]].<ref name="NPSmining"/>

===Early tourism===
The first documented tourist facilities in Death Valley were a set of tent houses built in the 1920s where Stovepipe Wells is now located. People flocked to resorts built around natural springs thought to have curative and restorative properties. In 1927, Pacific Coast Borax turned the crew quarters of its Furnace Creek Ranch into a resort, creating the [[Oasis at Death Valley|Furnace Creek Inn]] and resort.<ref name="NPSinn">[[#NPSwebsite|NPS website]], "Furnace Creek Inn"</ref> The spring at Furnace Creek was harnessed to develop the resort, and as the water was diverted, the surrounding [[marsh]]es and [[wetland]]s started to shrink.<ref name="FocusWater"/>

[[File:Scotty's Castle under construction.JPG|thumb|[[Scotty's Castle]] under construction]]
Soon the valley was a popular winter destination. Other facilities started off as private getaways but were later opened to the public. Most notable among these was Death Valley Ranch, better known as [[Scotty's Castle]]. This large ranch home built in the [[Spanish Revival]] style became a hotel in the late 1930s and, largely because of the fame of [[Death Valley Scotty]], a tourist attraction. Death Valley Scotty, whose real name was Walter Scott, was a gold miner who pretended to be the owner of "his castle", which he claimed to have built with profits from his gold mine. Neither claim was true, but the real owner, [[Chicago]] millionaire [[Albert Mussey Johnson]], encouraged the myth. When asked by reporters what his connection was to Walter Scott's castle, Johnson replied that he was Mr. Scott's banker.<ref>[[#NPSwebsite|NPS website]], "[https://archive.today/20120805173115/http://www.nps.gov/deva/historyculture/scotty3.htm Johnson and Scotty Build a Castle]"</ref>

===Protection and later history===
President [[Herbert Hoover]] proclaimed a [[U.S. National Monument|national monument]] in and around Death Valley on February 11, 1933, setting aside almost {{convert|2|e6acre|km2|spell=in|abbr=unit}} of southeastern California and small parts of Nevada.<ref name="NPSguide">[[#NPSguide|NPS Visitor Guide]]</ref>

[[File:CCC boys in Death Valley.jpg|thumb|[[Civilian Conservation Corps]] workers in Death Valley]]
The [[Civilian Conservation Corps]] (CCC) developed infrastructure in Death Valley National Monument during the [[Great Depression]] and on into the early 1940s. The main CCC camp was located at Cow Creek, just north of the visitors center at Furnace Creek.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Administrative & Support Buildings – Death Valley National Park CA|url=https://livingnewdeal.org/sites/administrative-support-buildings-death-valley-national-park-ca-2/|website=Living New Deal|access-date=2025-09-23|language=en-US}}</ref> The CCC built barracks, graded {{convert|500|mi|km}} of roads, installed water and telephone lines, and a total of 76 buildings. Trails in the Panamint Range were built to points of scenic interest, and an [[adobe]] village, laundry and trading post were constructed for the [[Timbisha|Timbisha Shoshone Tribe]]. Five campgrounds, restrooms, an airplane landing field and picnic facilities were also built.<ref name="NPSccc">[[#NPSwebsite|NPS website]], "Civilian Conservation Corps"</ref>

In 1942, the former CCC main camp at Cow Creek was repurposed for a short period to hold sixty-six [[Internment of Japanese Americans|Japanese American detainees]] who had been incarcerated at [[Manzanar]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Cow Creek (detention facility)|website=Densho Encyclopedia|publisher=[[Densho: The Japanese American Legacy Project|Densho]]|url=https://encyclopedia.densho.org/Cow_Creek_(detention_facility)/|access-date=2025-09-23}}</ref>

The creation of the monument resulted in a temporary closing of the lands to prospecting and mining. However, Death Valley was quickly reopened to mining by [[Congress of the United States|Congressional]] action in June 1933. As improvements in mining technology allowed lower grades of ore to be processed, and new heavy equipment allowed greater amounts of rock to be moved, mining in Death Valley changed. Gone were the days of the "single-blanket, jackass prospector" long associated with the romantic west. [[Open-pit mine|Open pit]] and [[strip mine]]s scarred the landscape as international mining corporations bought claims in highly visible areas of the national monument. The public outcry that ensued led to greater protection for all national park and monument areas in the United States.<ref name="NPSmining"/> In 1976, Congress passed the Mining in the Parks Act, which closed Death Valley National Monument to the filing of new mining claims, banned open-pit mining and required the [[National Park Service]] to examine the validity of tens of thousands of pre-1976 mining claims. Mining was allowed to resume on a limited basis in 1980 with stricter environmental standards.<ref name="NPSmining" /> The last mine in the park, Billie Mine, closed in 2005.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Mining in Death Valley – Death Valley National Park|url=https://www.nps.gov/deva/learn/nature/mining-in-death-valley.htm|url-status=live|access-date=2021-10-29|publisher=National Park Service|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150306131546/http://www.nps.gov/deva/learn/nature/mining-in-death-valley.htm|archive-date=March 6, 2015}}</ref>

In 1952 President Harry Truman added the [[Devils Hole]] to Death Valley National Monument; it is the only habitat of the [[Devils Hole pupfish]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rivard |first=Katherine |title=The Extraordinary Lives of Death Valley's Endangered Devils Hole Pupfish |url=https://www.nationalparks.org/connect/blog/extraordinary-lives-death-valleys-endangered-devils-hole-pupfish |access-date=2024-09-25 |website=National Park Foundation}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Devils Hole – Death Valley National Park |url=https://www.nps.gov/deva/learn/nature/devils-hole.htm |access-date=2024-09-25 |publisher=National Park Service}}</ref>

Death Valley National Monument was designated a [[biosphere reserve]] in 1984.<ref name="NPSindex" /> On October 31, 1994, the monument was expanded by {{convert|1.3|e6acre|km2}} and re-designated as a [[national park]], via congressional passage of the [[California Desert Protection Act]] (Public Law 103–433).<ref name="NPSindex" /> Consequently, the elevated status for Death Valley made it the largest national park in the [[contiguous United States]]. On March 12, 2019, the [[John D. Dingell Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act]] added {{cvt|35292|acre|sqmi km2|0}} to the park.<ref>[https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/47 "S.47 – John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act; Part III—National Park System additions; Sec. 1431. Death Valley National Park boundary revision"]. ''congress.gov''. Retrieved June 16, 2019.</ref>

Many of the larger cities and towns within the boundary of the regional [[groundwater]] flow system that the park and its plants and animals rely upon are experiencing some of the fastest growth rates of any place in the United States. Notable examples within a {{convert|100|mi|km|adj=on}} radius of Death Valley National Park include [[Las Vegas, Nevada|Las Vegas]] and [[Pahrump, Nevada]]. In the case of Las Vegas, the local Chamber of Commerce estimates that 6,000 people are moving to the city every month. Between 1985 and 1995, the population of the Las Vegas Valley increased from 550,700 to 1,138,800.<ref name="FocusWater" />

In 1977, parts of Death Valley were used by director [[George Lucas]] as a [[List of Star Wars filming locations|filming location for ''Star Wars'']], providing the setting for the fictional planet [[Tatooine]].<ref name="lucas">{{cite book|last=Hearn|first=Marcus|title=The Cinema of George Lucas|year=2005|others=Foreword by Ron Howard|publisher=Abrams|location=New York|isbn=0-8109-4968-7|page=109}}</ref><ref name="swlocs-deathvalley">{{cite web|title=Star Wars trek: Death Valley – April 2001|url=http://www.starwarslocations.com/article.php?story=20070923041409143|work=Star Wars Locations|access-date=28 March 2012}}</ref>
[[File:Telescope & Wildrose Peaks - Emigrant Canyon Rd.jpg|thumb|center|upright=3|[[Telescope Peak|Telescope]] and Wildrose Peaks from Emigrant Canyon Road]]

==Geologic history==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Era
! Rock Units/Formations
! Principal Geologic Events
|-
| Cenozoic
| Alluvial fans, stream, and playa deposits, dunes, numerous sedimentary, volcanic, and plutonic units in separate and interconnected basins and igneous fields (includes Artist Drive, Furnace Creek, Funeral, and Nova Formations).
| Major unconformity, continued deposition in modern Death Valley, opening of modern Death Valley, continuing development of present ranges and basins, onset of major extension.
|-
| Mesozoic
| Granitic plutons, Butte Valley
| Thrust faulting and intrusion of plutons related to Sierra Nevada batholith; shallow marine deposition; unconformity.
|-
| Paleozoic
| Resting spring Shale, Tin Mountain Limestone, Lost Burro, [[Hidden Valley Dolomite]], Eureka Quartzite, Nopah, Bonanza King, Carrara, Zabriskie Quartzite, Wood Canyon.
| Development of a long-continuing carbonate bank on a passive continental margin; numerous intervals of emergence, interrupted by deposition of a blanket of sandstone in Middle Ordovician time. Deposition of a wedge of silliciclastic sediment during and immediately following the rifting along a new continental margin.
|-
| Proterozoic
| Crystalline basement, Pahrump, Stirling Quartzite, Johnnie, Ibex, Noonday Dolomite, Kingston Peak, Beck Spring, Crystal Spring.
|  Regional metamorphism, Major unconformity, rapid uplift and erosion, shallow marine deposition, glacio-marine deposition, unconformity. Shallow to deep marine deposition along an incipient continental margin.
|}

[[File:Death Valley basin cross section.png|thumb|upright=1.8|The Death Valley basin is filled with sediment (light yellow) eroded from the surrounding mountains. Black lines show some of the major faults that created the valley.]]
{{main|Geology of the Death Valley area}}
The park has a diverse and complex geologic history. Since its formation, the area that comprises the park has experienced at least four major periods of extensive [[volcanism]], three or four periods of major [[sedimentation]], and several intervals of major [[plate tectonics|tectonic]] deformation where the crust has been reshaped. Two periods of [[glaciation]] (a series of ice ages) have also had effects on the area, although no [[glacier]]s ever existed in the ranges now in the park.<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 18, 2009 |title=USGS Changing Climates and Ancient Lakes |url=https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2004/1007/climates.html |access-date=November 15, 2023 |website=USGS Western Region Geology and Geophysics Science Center}}</ref>

===Basement and Pahrump Group===
Little is known about the history of the oldest exposed [[rock (geology)|rock]]s in the area due to extensive [[metamorphism]] (alteration of rock by heat and pressure). [[Radiometric dating]] gives an age of 1,700&nbsp;million years for the metamorphism during the [[Proterozoic]].<ref name="Wright1997p611"/> About 1,400&nbsp;million years ago a mass of [[granite]] now in the Panamint Range intruded this complex.<ref name="Wright1997p631">{{harvnb|Wright and Miller|1997|p=631}}</ref> Uplift later exposed these rocks to nearly 500&nbsp;million years of erosion.<ref name="Wright1997p631"/>

The Proterozoic sedimentary [[formation (geology)|formations]] of the [[Geology of the Death Valley area#Pahrump Group|Pahrump Group]] were deposited on these basement rocks. This occurred following uplift and erosion of any earlier sediments from the Proterozoic basement rocks. The Pahrump is composed of arkose [[conglomerate (geology)|conglomerate]] (quartz clasts in a concrete-like matrix) and [[mudstone]] in its lower part, followed by [[Dolomite (rock)|dolomite]] from [[Carbonate rock|carbonate]] banks topped by [[algal mat]]s as [[stromatolite]]s, and finished with basin-filling sediment derived from the above, including possible [[glacial till]] from the hypothesized [[Snowball Earth]] glaciation.<ref>{{harvnb|Wright and Miller|1997|pp=631–632}}</ref> The very youngest rocks in the Pahrump Group are [[basalt]]ic lava flows.

===Rifting and deposition===
[[File:Late Precambrian Noonday Formation.jpg|thumb|left|The Noonday Dolomite was formed as a carbonate shelf after the break-up of [[Rodinia]].]]
A [[rift]] opened and subsequently flooded the region as part of the breakup of the supercontinent [[Rodinia]] in the [[Neoproterozoic]] (by about 755&nbsp;million years ago) and the creation of the [[Pacific Ocean]]. A shoreline similar to the present [[Atlantic Ocean]] margin of the United States lay to the east. An [[algal mat]]-covered carbonate bank was deposited, forming the Noonday Dolomite.<ref name="Wright1997p632">{{harvnb|Wright and Miller|1997|p=632}}</ref> Subsidence of the region occurred as the [[continental crust]] thinned and the newly formed Pacific widened, forming the Ibex Formation. An angular [[unconformity]] (an uneven gap in the geologic record) followed.

A true [[ocean basin]] developed to the west, breaking all the earlier formations along a steep front. A wedge of clastic sediment then began to accumulate at the base of the two underwater precipices, starting the formation of opposing [[continental shelf|continental shelves]].<ref name="Wright1997p634">{{harvnb|Wright and Miller|1997|p=634}}</ref> Three formations developed from sediment that accumulated on the wedge. The region's first known [[fossil]]s of complex life are found in the resulting formations.<ref name="Wright1997p634"/> Notable among these are the [[Ediacaran|Ediacara fauna]] and [[trilobite]]s, the evolution of the latter being part of the [[Cambrian Explosion]] of life.

The sandy mudflats gave way about 550 million years ago to a carbonate platform (similar to the one around the present-day [[Bahama]]s), which lasted for the next 300 million years of [[Paleozoic]] time (refer to the middle of the [[:image:Geologic events in Death Valley.png|timescale image]]). Death Valley's position was then within ten or twenty degrees of the Paleozoic [[equator]]. Thick beds of carbonate-rich sediments were periodically interrupted by periods of emergence. Although details of geography varied during this immense interval of time, a north-northeastern coastline trend generally ran from [[Arizona]] up through [[Utah]]. The resulting eight formations and one group are {{convert|20000|ft|km|0}} thick and underlay much of the Cottonwood, Funeral, Grapevine, and Panamint ranges.<ref name="Wright1997p634"/>

===Compression and uplift===
[[File:Lake Manly system.gif|thumb|The [[Lake Manly]] lake system as it might have looked during its last maximum extent 22,000 years ago<ref name="Kiver1999p281">{{harvnb|Kiver|1999|p=281}}</ref> (USGS image)]]
In the early-to-mid- [[Mesozoic]] the western edge of the North American continent was pushed against the oceanic plate under the Pacific Ocean, creating a [[subduction]] zone.<ref name="Wright1997p634"/> A subduction zone is a type of contact between different crustal plates where heavier crust slides below lighter crust. Erupting volcanoes and uplifting mountains were created as a result, and the coastline was pushed to the west. The [[Sierran Arc]] started to form to the northwest from heat and pressure generated from subduction, and compressive forces caused [[thrust fault]]s to develop.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Barth |first=A.P. |date=August 1, 2011 |title=Birth of the Sierra Nevada magmatic arc: Early Mesozoic plutonism and volcanism in the east-central Sierra Nevada of California |url=https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geosphere/article/7/4/877/132472/Birth-of-the-Sierra-Nevada-magmatic-arc-Early |journal=Geological Society of America |volume=7 (4) |issue=2011 |pages=877–897 |via=Geoscience World}}</ref>

A long period of uplift and erosion was concurrent with and followed the above events, creating a major unconformity, which is a large gap in the geologic record. Sediments worn off the Death Valley region were carried both east and west by wind and water.<ref name="Wright1997p635"/> No Jurassic- to [[Eocene]]-aged sedimentary formations exist in the area, except for some possibly Jurassic-age [[volcanic rock]]s (see the top of the [[:image:Geologic events in Death Valley.png|timescale image]]).<ref name="Wright1997p635">{{harvnb|Wright and Miller|1997|p=635}}</ref>

===Stretching and lakes===
[[File:Amargosa.jpg|thumb|left|During very wet periods, the [[Amargosa River]] can flow at the surface, as it did in February 2005.]]
[[Basin and Range Province|Basin and Range]]-associated stretching of large parts of crust below southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico started around 16 million years ago and the region is still spreading.<ref name="Wright1997p611"/> This stretching began to affect the Death and Panamint valleys area by 3&nbsp;million years ago.<ref name="Kiver1999p278">{{harvnb|Kiver|1999|p=278}}</ref> Before this, rocks now in the Panamint Range were on top of rocks that would become the Black Mountains and the Cottonwood Mountains. Lateral and vertical transport of these blocks was accomplished by movement on normal [[fault (geology)|fault]]s. Right-lateral movement along strike-slip faults that run parallel to and at the base of the ranges also helped to develop the area.<ref name="Wright1997p616"/> Torsional forces, probably associated with northwesterly movement of the [[Pacific plate]] along the [[San Andreas Fault]] (west of the region), is responsible for the lateral movement.<ref name="Kiver1999p278"/>

Igneous activity associated with this stretching occurred from 12&nbsp;million to 4&nbsp;million years ago.<ref name="Wright1997p616">{{harvnb|Wright and Miller|1997|p=616}}</ref> Sedimentation is concentrated in valleys (basins) from material eroded from adjacent ranges. The amount of sediment deposited has roughly kept up with this subsidence, resulting in the retention of more or less the same valley floor elevation over time.<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 9, 2022 |title=Death Valley Geology |url=https://www.nps.gov/deva/learn/nature/geology.htm |access-date=November 15, 2023 |publisher=National Park Service}}</ref>

[[Pleistocene]] ice ages started 2 million years ago, and melt from alpine [[glacier]]s on the nearby Sierra Nevada Mountains fed a series of lakes that filled Death and [[Lake Panamint|Panamint valleys]] and surrounding basins (see the top of the [[:image:Geologic events in Death Valley.png|timescale image]]). The lake that filled Death Valley was the last of a chain of lakes fed by the [[Amargosa River|Amargosa]] and [[Mojave River]]s, and possibly also the [[Owens River]]. The large lake that covered much of Death Valley's floor, which geologists call [[Lake Manly]], started to dry up 10,500&nbsp;years ago.<ref name="Sharp1997p41">{{harvnb|Sharp|1997|p=41}}</ref> [[Salt pan (geology)|Salt pans]] and [[Dry lake|playas]] were created as ice age glaciers retreated, thus drastically reducing the lakes' water source. Only faint shorelines are left.

==Biology==
[[File:Sphinx moth on rock nettle at Mosaic Canyon.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Sphingidae|Sphinx moth]] on a [[Eucnide urens|rock nettle]] in Mosaic Canyon]]
[[Habitat (ecology)|Habitat]] varies from [[Salt pan (geology)|salt pan]] at {{convert|282|ft|m}} below sea level to the sub-alpine conditions found on the summit of Telescope Peak, which rises to {{convert|11049|ft|m}}.<ref name="NPSplants">[[#NPSwebsite|NPS website]], "Plants"</ref> Vegetation zones include [[creosote bush]], [[salt bush|desert holly]], and [[mesquite]] at the lower elevations and [[Sagebrush|sage]] up through [[shadscale]], [[blackbrush]], [[Yucca brevifolia|Joshua tree]], [[Piñon pine|pinyon]]-[[juniper]], to [[limber pine]] and [[Great Basin bristlecone pine|bristlecone pine]] woodlands.<ref name="NPSplants"/> The salt pan is devoid of vegetation, and the rest of the valley floor and lower slopes have sparse cover, although where water is available, an abundance of vegetation is usually present.
These zones and the adjacent desert support a variety of wildlife [[species]], including 51 species of native [[mammal]]s, 307 species of [[bird]]s, 36 species of [[reptile]]s, 3 species of [[amphibia]]ns, and 2 species of native [[fish]].<ref name="NPSanimal">[[#NPSwebsite|NPS website]], "Animals"</ref>

Small mammals are more numerous than large mammals, such as [[bighorn sheep]], [[coyote]]s, [[bobcat]]s, [[kit fox]]es, [[cougar]]s, and [[mule deer]].<ref name="NPSanimal"/> Mule deer are present in the pinyon/juniper associations of the Grapevine, Cottonwood, and Panamint ranges.<ref name="NPSanimal"/> Bighorn sheep are a rare species of mountain-dwelling sheep that exist in isolated bands in the Sierra and in Death Valley. These are highly adaptable animals and can eat almost any plant. They have no known predators, but humans and [[donkey|burro]]s compete for habitat.

[[File:Death Valley Pupfish spawning in Salt Creek.jpg|thumb|left|[[Death Valley pupfish]] spawning in Salt Creek]]
The ancestors of the [[Death Valley pupfish]] swam to the area from the [[Colorado River]] via a long-since dried-up system of rivers and lakes (see [[Lake Manly]]). They now live in two separate populations: one in Salt Creek and another in Cottonball Marsh. Death Valley is one of the hottest and driest places in North America, yet it is home to over 1,000 species of [[plant]]s; 23 of which, including the very rare rock lady (''[[Holmgrenanthe]]''), are not found anywhere else.<ref name="NPSplants"/>

Adaptation to the dry environment is key. For example, creosote bush and mesquite have tap-[[root]] systems that can extend {{convert|50|ft|m}} down in order to take advantage of a year-round supply of [[ground water]]. The diversity of Death Valley's plant communities results partly from the region's location in a transition zone between the [[Mojave Desert]], the [[Great Basin Desert]] and the [[Sonoran Desert]]. This location, combined with the great relief found within the park, supports vegetation typical of three biotic [[life zone]]s: the lower Sonoran, the Canadian, and the arctic/alpine in portions of the Panamint Range. Based on the Munz and Keck (1968) classifications, seven plant communities can be categorized within these life zones, each characterized by dominant vegetation and representative of three vegetation types: scrub, desert woodland, and coniferous forest. Microhabitats further subdivide some communities into zones, especially on the valley floor.<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 15, 2023 |title=NPS Death Valley General Management Plan |url=https://www.nps.gov/deva/general-management-plan.htm |access-date=November 15, 2023 |publisher=National Park Service}}</ref>

Unlike more typical locations across the Mojave Desert, many of the water-dependent Death Valley habitats possess a diversity of plant and animal species that are not found anywhere else in the world.<ref name="FocusWater"/> The existence of these species is due largely to a unique geologic history and the process of [[evolution]] that has progressed in habitats that have been isolated from one another since the [[Pleistocene]] epoch.<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 29, 2021 |title=National Park Service Death Valley Geologic Formations |url=https://www.nps.gov/deva/learn/nature/geologicformations.htm |access-date=November 15, 2023 |publisher=National Park Service}}</ref>

==Activities==
{{see also|Places of interest in the Death Valley area}}
Sightseeing is available by personal automobile, [[four-wheel drive]], motorcycle,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.motorcycleclassics.com/Touring/Destinations/September-October-2008/Riding-through-Death-Valley.aspx|title=Death Valley by motorcycle|publisher=Motorcycle Classics|access-date=2009-08-06|date=September–October 2008|author=Joe Berk}}</ref> bicycle, [[mountain bicycle|mountain bike]] (on established roadways only), and [[hiking]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/deva/planyourvisit/outdooractivities.htm |title=Outdoor Activities |publisher=National Park Service |date=2019-04-21 |access-date=2020-02-14}}</ref> [[California State Route 190|State Route 190]], the Badwater Road, the Scotty's Castle Road, and paved roads to [[Dante's View]] and Wildrose provide access to the major scenic viewpoints and historic points of interest. More than {{convert|350|mi|km}} of unpaved and four-wheel-drive roads provide access to wilderness hiking, camping, and historical sites.<ref>{{harvnb|NPS|2002|p=55}}</ref> Unlike many other [[List of national parks of the United States|national parks in the U.S.]] there are no formal entrance stations, and instead entry fees can be paid at the visitor centers, ranger stations, or various fee machines around the park.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/deva/planyourvisit/fees-and-passes.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200717003631/https://www.nps.gov/deva/planyourvisit/fees-and-passes.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 17, 2020|title=Death Valley National Park Fees & Passes|publisher=National Park Service|access-date=December 31, 2021}}</ref> There are hiking trails of varying lengths and difficulties, but most backcountry areas are accessible only by cross-country hiking. The peak season for visiting the park is from October to May, avoiding summer extreme temperatures. Costumed living history tours of the historic [[Scotty's Castle]] were suspended in October 2015 due to extensive flood damage to the buildings and grounds. It remains closed to the public.<ref name=DevaFlood>[https://www.nps.gov/deva/learn/nature/flood-2015.htm Death Valley National Park – Flash Floods of 2015], [[National Park Service]]</ref>{{r|LAT 2022-08-07}}

[[File:Surfing Star Dune.JPG|thumb|A tourist sliding down Star Dune in the Mesquite Flat dune field]]
There are nine designated campgrounds within the park, and overnight backcountry camping permits are available at the visitor center.<ref>[[#NPSwebsite|NPS website]], "Campgrounds"</ref> [[Xanterra Parks & Resorts]] owns and operates a private resort, the Oasis at Death Valley,<ref name="NPSguide"/> which comprises two separate and distinct hotels: the Inn at Death Valley is a four-star historic hotel, and the Ranch at Death Valley is a three-star ranch-style property reminiscent of the mining and prospecting days. [[Panamint Springs, California|Panamint Springs Resort]] is in the western part of the park. Death Valley Lodging Company operates the [[Stovepipe Wells, California|Stovepipe Wells Resort]] under a concession permit. There are a few motels near entrances to the park, in [[Shoshone, California|Shoshone]], [[Death Valley Junction]], [[Beatty, Nevada|Beatty]], and [[Pahrump, Nevada|Pahrump]].

Furnace Creek Visitor Center is located on CA-190 and includes exhibits and a film about the park's geology, climate, wildlife and natural history, as well as human history and pioneer experience.<ref>[[#NPSwebsite|NPS website]], "Ranger Programs"</ref> During the winter season—November through April—rangers offer interpretive tours and a variety of walks, talks, and presentations about Death Valley cultural and natural history. The {{Wikidata fallback link|Q30271291}} maintains a bookstore.

The northeast corner of [[Saline Valley, California|Saline Valley]] has several developed [[hot spring]] pools accessible by several hours' drive on unpaved roads or by flying a [[General aviation|personal aircraft]] to the [[Chicken Strip]]—an uncharted [[Aerodrome#Airstrip|airstrip]] a short walk from the springs.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://theraf.org/news/2011/chicken-strip-reopens|title=Chicken Strip Reopens {{!}} Recreational Aviation Foundation|website=theraf.org|access-date=2018-04-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160204074856/http://theraf.org/news/2011/chicken-strip-reopens|archive-date=2016-02-04|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Death Valley National Park is a popular location for [[stargazing]] as it has one of the darkest night skies in the United States. Despite its remote location, air quality and night visibility are threatened by civilization. In particular, [[light pollution]] is introduced by nearby [[Las Vegas, Nevada|Las Vegas]].<ref>[[#NPSwebsite|NPS website]], "Lightscape / Night Sky"</ref> The darkest skies are located in the northwest of the park;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.caglow.com/info/darksky/death-valley|title=Death Valley|publisher=caglow.com|access-date=2011-01-04|archive-date=June 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200612110740/http://www.caglow.com/info/darksky/death-valley|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Ubehebe Crater]] is a [[Bortle scale|Bortle class 1]] or "excellent dark sky" site.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lightpollutionmap.info/#zoom=12.48&lat=4440305&lon=-13074286&layers=B0FFFFTFFFF|title=Light pollution map|website=lightpollutionmap.info|access-date=2018-07-13}}</ref> The [[Andromeda Galaxy]] and the [[Triangulum Galaxy]] are visible to the unaided eye under these conditions, and the Milky Way casts shadows; optical phenomena such as zodiacal light or "false dawn" and gegenschein are also visible to the unaided eye under these conditions.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.handprint.com/ASTRO/bortle.html|title=bortle dark sky scale|website=handprint.com|access-date=2018-07-13}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.universetoday.com/127052/hunting-the-gegenschien/|title=A Challenge in Visual Athletics: Hunting the Gegenschein – Universe Today|date=2016-02-03|work=Universe Today|access-date=2018-07-13}}</ref> Most southern regions of the park are Bortle class 2 or "average dark sky" sites.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lightpollutionmap.info/#zoom=9.236666666666663&lat=4306797&lon=-12945684&layers=B0FFFFTFFFF|title=Light pollution map|website=lightpollutionmap.info|access-date=2018-07-13}}</ref>
[[File:Deathvalleysky nps big.jpg|thumb|center|upright=3|A 360-degree panorama of [[Racetrack Playa]] at night. The [[Milky Way]] is visible as an arc in the center.]]

==See also==
{{Portal|California|Geology}}
* [[Harry Wade Exit Route]], California Historic Landmark
* [[List of national parks of the United States]]
* [[List of nationally protected areas of the United States]]
* [[National parks in California]]
* [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Death Valley National Park]]

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==

===Explanatory notes===
<references group=note/>

===Citations===
{{Reflist}}

===Bibliography===
{{NPS}}<br />
{{USGS}}
* <!-- Ki -->{{cite book |title= Geology of U.S. Parklands |edition= Fifth |author= Kiver, Eugene P. |author2=David V. Harris |publisher= John Wiley & Sons  |location= New York |year= 1999 |isbn= 978-0-471-33218-3 |ref= CITEREFKiver1999 }}
* <!-- NPSi -->{{cite book
 | title = The National Parks Index
 | url = http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/index/index1.pdf
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070713113208/http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/index/index1.pdf
 | archive-date = 2007-07-13
 | publisher = U.S. Department of the Interior
 | access-date = 2008-10-05
 | author = National Park Service
 | location = Washington, D.C.
 | date = 2001–2003
 | ref = NPSindex}}
* <!-- NPSm -->{{cite book
 | url = http://www.nps.gov/deva/parkmgmt/upload/GMP_001.pdf
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061013034422/http://www.nps.gov/deva/parkmgmt/upload/GMP_001.pdf
 | url-status = dead
 | archive-date = October 13, 2006
 | title = Death Valley General Management Plan
 | publisher = U.S. Department of the Interior
 | access-date = 2008-09-28
 | date = April 2002
 | author = National Park Service
 | location = Washington, D.C.
 | ref = CITEREFNPS2002}}
* <!-- NPSv -->{{cite book
 | url = http://www.nps.gov/deva/upload/Visitor%20Guide%202008-2.pdf
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080920002603/http://www.nps.gov/deva/upload/Visitor%20Guide%202008-2.pdf
 | url-status = dead
 | archive-date = September 20, 2008
 | author = National Park Service
 | title = Death Valley National Park Visitor Guide 2008/2009
 | publisher = U.S. Department of the Interior
 | access-date = 2008-09-28
 | ref = NPSguide}}
* <!-- NPSw -->{{cite web
 | url = https://www.nps.gov/deva/siteindex.htm
 | publisher = U.S. Department of the Interior
 | title = Death Valley National Park website
 | author = National Park Service
 | access-date = 2008-09-17
 |ref=NPSwebsite}} (adapted public domain text)
* Rothman, Hal K., and Char Miller. ''Death Valley National Park: A History'' (University of Nevada Press; 2013) 216 pages; an environmental and human history
* <!-- Sh -->{{cite book |title= Geology Underfoot in Death Valley and Owens Valley |author= Sharp, Robert P. |author2=Allen F. Glazner |publisher= Mountain Press Publishing Company |location= Missoula, Montana |year= 1997 |isbn= 978-0-87842-362-0 |ref= CITEREFSharp1997 }}
* <!-- USGSg -->{{cite web
 | publisher = United States Geological Survey
 | url = https://geomaps.wr.usgs.gov/parks/deva/devaft.html
 | title = Death Valley National Park Virtual Geology Field Trip
 | date = 2004-01-13
 | access-date = 2008-09-16
 | ref = CITEREFUSGS2004
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080922094804/http://geomaps.wr.usgs.gov/parks/deva/devaft.html
 | archive-date = 2008-09-22
 | url-status = dead
 }} (adapted public domain text)
* <!-- USGSw -->{{cite web
 | publisher = United States Geological Survey
 | url = https://wrgis.wr.usgs.gov/parks/deva/weather.html
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080601093356/http://wrgis.wr.usgs.gov/parks/deva/weather.html
 | archive-date = 2008-06-01
 | title = Death Valley's Incredible Weather
 | access-date = 2008-10-05
 | date = 2004-01-13
 |ref=USGSweather}}
* <!-- Wa -->{{cite book |last= Wallace |first= William James |author2=Edith Wallace |title= Ancient Peoples and Cultures of Death Valley National Monument |location= Ramona, CA |publisher= Acoma Books |year= 1978 |isbn= 978-0-916552-12-1 |ref= CITEREFWallace1978 }}
* <!-- Wr  -->{{cite book |title= Geology of National Parks |edition= Fifth |editor= Ann G. Harris|last= Wright |first= Laureen A. |author2=Miller, Martin G. |location= Dubuque, IA |publisher= Kendall/Hunt Publishing |year= 1997 |isbn= 978-0-7872-1065-6 |chapter= Chapter 46: Death Valley National Park, Eastern California and southwestern Nevada |pages= 610–637 |ref= CITEREFWright_and_Miller1997  }}

==External links==
{{Sister project links|auto=1}}
*[https://www.nps.gov/deva/index.htm Death Valley National Park] by the [[National Park Service]]
*[http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/Death_valley 1920s images of Death Valley and Surrounding Locales from the Death Valley Region Photographs Digital Collection] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190731012401/http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/Death_valley |date=July 31, 2019 }}: Utah State University
*[https://www.dvconservancy.org/death-valley-national-park/ Death Valley National Park] by the Death Valley Conservancy
*{{HAER |survey=CA-300 |id=ca3103 |title=Death Valley National Park Roads, Death Valley Junction, Inyo County, CA |photos=25 |color=8 |cap=3}}
*{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/20/us/death-valley-lake.html|title=In Death Valley, a Rare Lake Comes Alive|work=The New York Times|date=November 20, 2023 |access-date=2023-11-28|url-access=registration|archive-date=November 28, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231128001812/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/20/us/death-valley-lake.html|url-status=live |last1=Cowan |first1=Jill |last2=Lampcov |first2=Mette }} (Archived version)

{{Death Valley}}
{{National parks of the United States}}
{{Protected areas of Nevada}}
{{Protected areas of California|NPS}}
{{authority control}}

[[Category:Death Valley National Park| ]]
[[Category:Death Valley| ]]
[[Category:Historic American Engineering Record in California]]
[[Category:National parks in California]]
[[Category:Protected areas of the Mojave Desert]]
[[Category:Protected areas of the Great Basin]]
[[Category:Sandboarding locations]]
[[Category:Parks in Inyo County, California| ]]
[[Category:Parks in San Bernardino County, California]]
[[Category:National parks in Nevada]]
[[Category:Protected areas of Nye County, Nevada]]
[[Category:Protected areas of Esmeralda County, Nevada]]
[[Category:Protected areas established in 1994]]
[[Category:Civilian Conservation Corps in California]]
[[Category:Parks in Southern California]]
[[Category:Dark-sky preserves in the United States]]
[[Category:1994 establishments in California]]
[[Category:1994 establishments in Nevada]]