Death Valley is all about geology. And geology is proof that the earth itself is still alive. We took a short hike up the Golden Canyon which was formed by water cutting a scar across the Amargosas. The picture below shows Lishka staring at Cathedral rock at the end of that hike. We also clambered up some sand dunes later in the day and have some awesome shots of us catching air as we jumped off the edge of the dunes. Gnarley!

Standing in the middle of the Death Valley you are surrounded by evidence that it is still shaping itself. The Panamint and Amargosas tower on either side shooting up 11,000 feet. At their base is proof that these mountains once stood much higher. Rain and erosion scrape and slide down sending rocks and dirt to the foot of the mountains where they collect and form alluvial fans. The mountains are in effect burying themselves as they wear away (see pic above).

In a park brochure we found out that the valley is in fact a graben. Now this is the part that is totally incredible. The theory is that the Farallon plate sunk beneath the North American plate. The Farallon plate is still beneath us now and as it sinks it melts and heats up the North American plate above it causes it to actually spread apart and get thinner. Besides spreading, the North American plate also breaks apart along fault lines. Parts of the plate may sink down creating a so called graben like Death Valley. This sinking is what created the lowest point in the western hemisphere, where we stood the other day 282 feet below sea level.