The development of a flat, sediment-floored basin at the lowest point of an arid, closed drainage system, formed as intermittent runoff collects in the basin and evaporates entirely, leaving behind a smooth surface of fine mud and, where groundwater has carried them in, evaporite salts. A playa can remain dry for years between rare flooding events, and where salt content is high enough it can form a hard, crusted salt flat such as Bolivia's Salar de Uyuni.
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Sources
1. Playa Formation (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationIntroductionQuote, Introduction
A dry lake bed, also called a playa, is a basin or depression that formerly contained a standing surface water body, which disappears when evaporation processes exceed recharge.
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