Stock photography picture of Rolling Rock The Racetrack Death Valley National Park California Nevada USA

B0ENE6 - Licenced Caption Rolling Rock The Racetrack Death Valley National Park California Nevada USA Description Racetrack Playa is a seasonally dry lake (a playa) located in the northern part of the Panamint Mountains in Death Valley National Park, California, U.S.A.. It is famous for 'sailing stones', rocks that mysteriously move across its surface. Coordinates: 36°40′53″N, 117°33′46″W. The playa is nestled between the Cottonwood Mountains to the east and the Last Chance Range to the west. During periods of heavy rain, water washes down from nearby mountain slopes onto the playa, forming a shallow, short-lived lake. Under the hot Death Valley sun, the thin veneer of water quickly evaporates, leaving behind a layer of soft mud. As the mud dries, it shrinks and cracks into a mosaic of interlocking polygons. The playa is 3708 feet (1130 m) above sea level, 2.8 miles (4.5 km) long north-south, and 1.3 miles (2 km) wide east-west. It is also exceptionally flat and level with the north end being only 1.5 inches (4 cm) higher than the south. Two islands of bedrock poke above the playa's surface at its north end. Keywords Rolling, Rocks, Nature, Death, Valley, Mountains, Deserts, National, Parks, California, Nevada, USA, North, America, Landmarks, Landscapes, Drought, Dried, Lakes, Cracked, Soil