Death Valley: Sinking in a Geological Tug-of-War (w music)

Death Valley isn’t just the hottest place in North America — it’s actually sinking.

Located in eastern California, Death Valley sits in a massive geologic tug-of-war

between rising mountains and collapsing land. The region belongs to the Basin and Range Province,

where Earth’s crust is being pulled apart. As the crust stretches,

some blocks rise into mountains, while others drop downward. Death Valley lies

in one of those sinking blocks, slowly sliding downward along fault lines even today.

Right next to it, the Panamint Range is rising upward — creating one

of the steepest elevation changes in North America. Incredibly, the lowest point