saltflats
Dried-up lake bed
Salt flats are large, flat expanses of ground covered with salt and other minerals, typically formed when bodies of water evaporate in arid regions.
These stark white landscapes, such as the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, are often used for land speed record attempts because of their hard, level surface.
The term is sometimes written as two words or hyphenated: salt flats, salt-flats.
Dried lakebed in desert
- basinConcave water receptacle
- evaporationLiquid turning to gas
- brineWater saturated with sodium
- crustHard outer layer
alkaline · sediment · mineralogy · lithium · potash · sodium · chloride · hypersaline
Hard outer layer
- bleachedHad color removed
- glaringHarshly conspicuous or bright
- blindingPainfully intense light
- brightEmitting or reflecting light
pale · crystalline · chalky · dazzling · luminous · ghostly · monochrome · colorless
Bleak and abandoned
- aridDevoid of water
- lifelessDevoid of animation
- inhospitableUnwelcoming, harsh to visitors
- parchedExtremely dry or thirsty
sterile · bleak · harsh · unforgiving · empty · sparse · forbidding · hostile
Apparent earth-sky meeting
- vastnessState of being immense
- expanseUnbroken area of space
- opennessQuality of being accessible
- panoramaUnobstructed wide-angle view
stretch · plain · terrain · vista · featureless · monotony · immensity · plateau
Reflective viewing surface
- shimmeringGleaming with wavering light
- glassySmooth and shiny
- mirageAtmospheric optical deception
- floodedCovered with water
optical illusion · surreal · ethereal · dreamlike · otherworldly · photography
playa
Dried lakebed in desert
- basinConcave water receptacle
- evaporationLiquid turning to gas
- brineWater saturated with sodium
crust · alkaline · sediment · mineralogy · lithium · potash · sodium · chloride · hypersaline · landform
crust
Hard outer layer
bright · pale · crystalline · chalky · dazzling · luminous · ghostly · monochrome · colorless · blanched
desolate
Bleak and abandoned
- aridDevoid of water
- lifelessDevoid of animation
- inhospitableUnwelcoming, harsh to visitors
parched · sterile · bleak · harsh · unforgiving · empty · sparse · forbidding · hostile · waterless
horizon
Apparent earth-sky meeting
panorama · stretch · plain · terrain · vista · featureless · monotony · immensity · plateau · endless
Bonneville
Columbia River hydroelectric dam
- Death ValleyBelow-sea-level California desert
mirror
Reflective viewing surface
- shimmeringGleaming with wavering light
- glassySmooth and shiny
- mirageAtmospheric optical deception
flooded · optical illusion · surreal · ethereal · dreamlike · otherworldly · photography