The Mojave Desert 121 



about 50 miles east of the Sierra Nevada Range, 6 to 35 miles 

 west of the Nevada State line. This depression of the earth's 

 crust has a length of more than 80 miles, and in width ranges 

 from two to eight miles. It is 60 to 70 miles east of Mount 

 Whitney, the highest point in the United States. The lowest 

 point in Death Valley, according to the U. S. Geological Survey, 

 is 296 feet below sea level. This point is three miles east of 

 Bennett's well, about 30 miles in a direct line west from Death 

 Valley Junction on the Tonopah & Tidewater railroad, and 

 about the same distance northwest from Saratoga Springs, fol- 

 lowing the road down the valley. The rainfall does not exceed 

 two to three inches annually, with no precipitation at all some 

 years. Mountain ranges on either side of the Valley rise nearly 

 to the line of perpetual snow. Funeral Mountains and Black 

 Mountains, of the Amargosa Range, rise on the eastern side of 

 the Valley to altitudes of 5,000 to 7,000 feet, while on the west 

 the Panamint Range reaches a height of more than 10,000 feet. 



High Temperature and Low Humidity 



The most marked feature of the desert climate is the unusu- 

 ally high summer temperature and the low relative humidity. 

 Temperatures in this arid region rise to 125 to 130 during the 

 summer months, and seldom during these months fall below 

 70. The humidity is low so that conditions are more endurable 

 than would be the case under such conditions of heat in regions 

 of higher humidity. The highest officially recorded tempera- 

 ture of any place in the world is that of 134 at Greenland ranch 

 in Death Valley. This is said to be the dryest and hottest place 

 in the United States. A low temperature of 15 F. has been 

 recorded at Greenland ranch. The difference between the 

 highest and lowest recorded temperatures however is not as great 

 in this desert region as in some parts of the United States. In 

 the Dakotas and Montana differences of 150 have been re- 

 corded. In the desert region sunstroke is almost unknown, due 

 to the low humidity. Because of the dryness of the air the 

 moisture given off by the body quickly evaporates producing a 



