The 12 Most Amazing American Natural Wonders

The 12 Most Amazing American Natural Wonders — page 3
2 LIFE THRIVES IN DEATH VALLEY Death Valley is the hottest place on Earth and the driest in North America Summer temperatures regularly top 120 degrees Fahrenheit 49 C in the shade Rocks and sand soak up the sunlight and the heat is trapped between the high walls of the valley But the weather is much more pleasant from late autumn to spring That’s when visitors flock to Death Valley to see the surrounding landscape of desert canyons mountains and sand dunes Death Valley is in southeastern California It is approximately 140 miles 225 km long and 5 to 15 miles 8 to 24 km wide Its lowest spot Badwater Basin is 282 feet 86 m below sea level That measurement makes Death Valley the lowest place in North America The hot dry climate makes water evaporate quickly The region doesn’t have much water to begin with Less than two inches 5 cm of rain usually falls each year Though its name suggests 6 At Death Valley’s At Death Valley’s Zabriskie Point erosion has sculpted the land into sharp ridges