Laguna Salada (Mexico) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Laguna Salada |
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 Laguna Salada
Location in Baja California
Laguna Salada
Location in Mexico
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| Location | Sonoran Desert Mexicali Municipality, Baja California |
| Coordinates | 32°22′N 115°39′W / 32.36°N 115.65°W |
| Lake type | Endorheic basin |
| Etymology | Salty lagoon in Spanish |
| Primary inflows | rain dependent |
| Primary outflows | Terminal (evaporation) |
| Basin countries | Mexico |
| Max. length | 60 km (37 mi) |
| Max. width | 17 km (11 mi) |
| Shore length1 | 250 km (160 mi) |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
Laguna Salada is a huge dry lake in Baja California, Mexico. Its name means "salty lagoon" in Spanish. This area is about 10 meters (33 feet) below sea level. It's found in the Sonoran Desert, about 30 kilometers (19 miles) southwest of Mexicali.
The lake bed is very flat and looks a bit like a diamond shape. Because it's so flat and dry, people sometimes use it for fun activities like driving. But watch out! When it's dry, strong dust storms can happen, especially during summer thunderstorms.
Laguna Salada is surrounded by two mountain ranges: the Sierra de Los Cucapah and the Sierra de Juárez. The lake is about 60 kilometers (37 miles) long and 17 kilometers (11 miles) wide at its widest point. Sometimes, after heavy rains, the lagoon can fill up with water. When this happens, the unpaved road along its west side is the only way to get across the area.
Earthquakes and the Land
Laguna Salada sits in a shallow dip in the ground. This dip is called a graben. A graben is a sunken block of land that forms when the Earth's crust pulls apart.
This area is connected to some very important fault lines. These are cracks in the Earth's crust where tectonic plates move. The Laguna Salada graben is linked to the famous San Andreas Fault and the East Pacific Rise. These are major areas where the Earth's plates are shifting.
The Laguna Salada Fault is also connected to another area called the Salton Trough. This trough holds a similar, but larger, sunken area called the Salton Sea. In 2010, a big earthquake, known as the 2010 Baja California earthquake, happened right here. This shows how active the Earth's crust is in this region.
See also
In Spanish: Laguna Salada (Baja California) para niños
- Lake Cahuilla - a prehistoric lake that was once near Laguna Salada
