Topographic Contours
You don't often associate storms with Death Valley, but when they happen, they leave behind the most incredible things. I found this patch of mud as the ground was drying out. It wasn't just cracking; it was sinking, and as it settled, these delicate, topographical lines formed on the surface. I
Sometimes you stumble onto something truly special just by wandering the washes in Death Valley. This winter’s flooding storms gave us hope for interesting mud flows, and after exploring a promising area, we came across these incredibly unique patterns that looked like contour lines on a topographic map.
My theory is that as the mud began to dry, the ground beneath it was still settling. We only found these formations in shallow depressions. As the surface slowly sank, it seems to have pulled the drying mud apart horizontally, creating these unusual cracks.