Article
Article
Playa
Article By:
Hubert, John F. Department of Geoscience, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Nevada.
Last reviewed:December 2019
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.527800
A nearly level, generally dry surface in the lowest part of a desert basin with internal drainage. When its surface is covered by a shallow sheet of water, it is a playa lake. Playas and playa lakes are also called dry lakes, alkali flats, mud flats, saline lakes, salt pans, inland sabkhas, ephemeral lakes, salinas and sinks (see illustration). The original meaning in Spanish of shore or beach has been lost. An example is Death Valley in California.
The content above is only an excerpt.
About AccessScience
AccessScience provides the most accurate and trustworthy scientific information available.
Recognized as an award-winning gateway to scientific knowledge, AccessScience is an amazing online resource that contains high-quality reference material written specifically for students. Contributors include more than 10,000 highly qualified scientists and 46 Nobel Prize winners.
MORE THAN 8700 articles covering all major scientific disciplines and encompassing the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology and McGraw-Hill Yearbook of Science & Technology
115,000-PLUS definitions from the McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms
3000 biographies of notable scientific figures
MORE THAN 19,000 downloadable images and animations illustrating key topics
ENGAGING VIDEOS highlighting the life and work of award-winning scientists
SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY and additional readings to guide students to deeper understanding and research
LINKS TO CITABLE LITERATURE help students expand their knowledge using primary sources of information
