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Sonoran Playas

Ecoregion in CA

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The Sonoran Playas ecoregion in California includes the Danby, Ford, and Palen dry lake areas in the low elevation basins of Ecoregion 81j. Danby Dry Lake is part of a large, northwest-trending structural trough that also includes Bristol and Cadiz Dry Lakes to the northwest in Ecoregion 14f. The elevation of Ecoregion 81h is about 600–620 feet. Danby Dry Lake is the sump of a large drainage basin that includes Ward Valley and adjacent upland areas. Playa lake sediments consist of silt and sand, tend to be orange or light yellowish-brown in color, and contain saline layers. The mostly barren cover has some sparse saltbush on the margins. Where moisture is sufficient, velvet ash and mesquite occur. Playas are dynamic environments with surface channels, playa margins, alluvial materials, and biota changing with each flooding event.

— EPA

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