Just outside the community there is a dry salt pan called Salt Flat Playa or Salt Basin. It straddles the New Mexico-Texas border and is about 150 miles long, and 5 to 15 miles wide making it one of the largest gypsum playas in the United States. The playa occupies the north-south oriented Salt Basin Grabben, which lies between the Guadalupe and Delaware Mountains on the east and the Sierra Diablo and Diablo Plateau on the west. Originally the playa was a lake during the late Pleistocene, but drying of the climate since then has left a salt pan.[4] Today, a briny water table is about three feet below the surface. Capillary evaporation in the dry, hot weather pulls brine upwards and evaporite (gypsum, halite) and carbonate (calcite, dolomite) minerals precipitate.[4]Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) grow on the surface and immediately below the surface when the playa is wet. Alternating light and dark bands are either gypsum-rich (light) or dolomite-rich (dark)[5] When the playa is dry during the summer, winds blow the gypsum into sand dunes.
View across the gypsum playa of Salt Flat, Hudspeth County, Texas. The dark color is due to the surface being wet.Alternating light and dark bands in the playa sediments.Cross-section of a gypsum sand dune on the west side of Salt Flat Playa.
^ abHussain, M., Rohr, D. M., and Warren, J. X., 1988, Depositional environments and facies in a Quaternary continental sabkha, West Texas, in Guadalupe Mountains revisited, Texas and New Mexico: West Texas Geological Society Publication 88-84, p. 177-185.
^Chapman, J.E.B., 1984, Hydrogeochemistry of the unsaturated zone of a salt flat in Hudspeth County, Texas: Austin, University of Texas at Austin, M.S Thesis, 132p.
^The Salt War of San Elizaro, The Handbook of Texas Online
External links
Kohout, Martin Donell. Salt Flat, TX,Handbook of Texas Online (accessed December 22, 2012)
Guadalupe Mountains NP (Official Site) (accessed December 22, 2012)
August 21, 2023
salt, flat, texas, salt, flat, ghost, town, northeastern, hudspeth, county, texas, united, states, lies, along, concurrent, routes, north, census, designated, place, sierra, blanca, county, seat, hudspeth, county, elevation, feet, although, salt, flat, unincor. Salt Flat is a ghost town in northeastern Hudspeth County Texas United States It lies along the concurrent U S Routes 62 and 180 north of the Census designated place CDP of Sierra Blanca the county seat of Hudspeth County 1 Its elevation is 3 730 feet 1 137 m 2 Although Salt Flat is unincorporated it has a ZIP Code of 79847 3 The headquarters of the nearby Guadalupe Mountains National Park uses this ZIP Code although it is located closer to Pine Springs which has no post office Salt Flat TexasGhost townSalt FlatShow map of TexasSalt FlatShow map of the United StatesCoordinates 31 44 37 N 105 5 34 W 31 74361 N 105 09278 W 31 74361 105 09278CountryUnited StatesStateTexasCountyHudspeth FElevation3 730 ft 1 140 m Time zoneUTC 07 00 Mountain CST Summer DST UTC 06 00 MDT ZIP Code79847GNIS feature ID1367427Salt deposits Edit Panorama of the Salt Flat Hudspeth County TexasJust outside the community there is a dry salt pan called Salt Flat Playa or Salt Basin It straddles the New Mexico Texas border and is about 150 miles long and 5 to 15 miles wide making it one of the largest gypsum playas in the United States The playa occupies the north south oriented Salt Basin Grabben which lies between the Guadalupe and Delaware Mountains on the east and the Sierra Diablo and Diablo Plateau on the west Originally the playa was a lake during the late Pleistocene but drying of the climate since then has left a salt pan 4 Today a briny water table is about three feet below the surface Capillary evaporation in the dry hot weather pulls brine upwards and evaporite gypsum halite and carbonate calcite dolomite minerals precipitate 4 Cyanobacteria blue green algae grow on the surface and immediately below the surface when the playa is wet Alternating light and dark bands are either gypsum rich light or dolomite rich dark 5 When the playa is dry during the summer winds blow the gypsum into sand dunes The San Elizario Salt War was a dispute over ownership and access to these salt deposits 6 View across the gypsum playa of Salt Flat Hudspeth County Texas The dark color is due to the surface being wet Alternating light and dark bands in the playa sediments Cross section of a gypsum sand dune on the west side of Salt Flat Playa References Edit Rand McNally The Road Atlas 08 Chicago Rand McNally 2008 p 99 U S Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System Salt Flat Texas ZIP Code Lookup a b Hussain M Rohr D M and Warren J X 1988 Depositional environments and facies in a Quaternary continental sabkha West Texas in Guadalupe Mountains revisited Texas and New Mexico West Texas Geological Society Publication 88 84 p 177 185 Chapman J E B 1984 Hydrogeochemistry of the unsaturated zone of a salt flat in Hudspeth County Texas Austin University of Texas at Austin M S Thesis 132p The Salt War of San Elizaro The Handbook of Texas OnlineExternal links EditKohout Martin Donell Salt Flat TX Handbook of Texas Online accessed December 22 2012 Guadalupe Mountains NP Official Site accessed December 22 2012 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Salt Flat Texas amp oldid 1167667153, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
