A duck swims in Zzyzx Spring next to Soda Lake. Soda Lake and nearby Silver Lake (near Baker, California) are the remnants of Lake Mojave, a large inland lake (now dry) at the terminus of the Mojave River. The frothy-white surface crust on the lake bed is a result of evaporative concentration of alkaline salts, mostly sodium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate (NPS, 2005). |