Desert saltbush (Atriplex polycarpa) grows around a pit on the Racetrack
Playa (shown here flooded). This pit provides one of the few water sources
for wildlife in the valley. Debate remains about the origin of the pit.
It may have been a natural seep or desiccation fissure on the playa or
a hole dug for stock by early miners. Both are likely true. In during
the winter and in the late summer the pit is often full of water. Other
pits surrounded by saltbush are nearby. Burrow and other animal bones
are common around these pits, making them reminiscent of desert oasis
that go dry in Africa or elsewhere where seasonal water become scarce,
and animals gather and die when the water supply dries up. The closest
other perennial springs are probably on Hunter Mountain or in Saline Valley,
many miles away.
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