Smithsonian Report, 1921. — Scofield. 



Plate 2. 



A Low Spot in the Desert, in which the Flood Waters from the Occa- 

 sional Showers Have Evaporated for many Years, Leaving a Heavy Deposit 

 of Salts which Were Formed from the Slow Weathering of the Soil of the 

 Plain and the Surrounding Hills. 



2. A Portion of the Surface of the Soil in the Desert that Has Dried Rapidly 

 after Wetting and, in Drying. Has Formed Shrinkage Cracks, from the 

 Sides of which the Soil Water is Vaporized. Under such Conditions a 

 Large Proportion of the Salts Dissolved in the Soil Solution Are Pre- 

 cipitated within the Soil Mass Rather than on the Surface. 



214—2 



