A Lowly Dry Lakebed

A dry lakebed is also known as a playa, such as The Racetrack Playa, that results usually from a lake that has no outflow point where the water would drain elsewhere. This causes the water to remain on the playa until it evaporates or is absorbed into the Earth. Playas are generally found in arid and semi-arid regions, and it is not uncommon to see water on a playa during years of heavy rain. This often causes the lake bed to become very slick, which, in the case of The Racetrack Playa, leads to heavy boulders being pushed around by high winds. We may see greasewood bushes lining playa regions. Usually, there is no plant growth on the playa itself. Another well known example of a huge playa is in Utah, called the Bonneville Salt Flats. Larger still, there is a playa in Bolivia that is 25 times the size of the Bonneville Playa. Once the water on a playa dries out or is absorbed, the surface generally becomes cracked in polygonal shapes.