Soda (Dry) Lake is a playa lake located on the western side of the Mojave Desert preserve. Playa lakes are formed in hot, dry areas when water runs of into a basin and has no path to escape. The water evaporates and/or sinks into the ground. Capillary action draws some of the water back to the surface as well. Since the water evaporates, the salts that were contained in the water are left behind; giving the dry lake it is crusty, white surface. (Info from USGS web page)
Soda Lake gets its name from the soda deposits found on its surface. Soda, in actuality, is a combination of various salts/ions(I.e. sodium, calcium, potassium, chloride, and carbonate) that are beneficial to humans. About 100 years ago, people began various attempts at extracting the salts from the lake bed. A fresh water spring, located at ZZYZX mineral springs, was used as the water source for these various undertakings.
The photos of the animals were all taken on the western side of the lake on what can be considered the lakes "shore".
Each photo is a thumbnail. Click on the photo or select the title to view in higher resolution
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All photos by John L. Polos
Copyright June 15th, 2005
