Playa

:Playa is also the name of an American music group.

Related Topics:
Playa - American

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An alkali flat (known in US and Mexico as a playa) is a dry lakebed, generally the shore of, or remnant of, an endorheic lake. Such flats consist of fine-grained sediments infused with alkali salts. Their surface is generally very dry, hard and smooth in the summer months, but wet and very soft in the winter months. While the playa itself will be devoid of vegetation, they are commonly ringed by shadscale, saltbrush and other salt-tolerant plants that provide critical winter fodder for livestock and other herbivores.

Related Topics:
US - Mexico - Endorheic - Lake - Sediment - Alkali - Salt - Shadscale - Saltbrush - Livestock - Herbivore

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Many playas contain shallow lakes in the winter, especially during wet years. If the layer of water is thin and is moved around the playa by the wind, an exceedingly hard and smooth surface can develop. Thicker layers of water can result in a "cracked-mud" surface. Too little water can result in dune formation.

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The Spanish name playa (which literally means "beach") is used most commonly in Mexico and the western US.

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The extremely flat, smooth, and hard surfaces of playas make them ideal surfaces for driving motor vehicles on. Large-sized playas are further excellent spots for pursuing land speed records, as the smoothness of the surface allows low-clearance vehicles to travel very fast without risk of disruption by surface irregularities, and the course of travel does not need to be too precise to avoid obstacles. The playas at Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah and Black Rock Desert in Nevada have both been used for setting land speed records. The latter is also the site of the annual Burning Man art and music festival.

Related Topics:
Motor vehicle - Land speed record - Bonneville Salt Flats - Utah - Black Rock Desert - Nevada - Burning Man

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See also: Salt lake, Salt pan

Related Topics:
Salt lake - Salt pan

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