Badwater, Death Valley
The lowest point in North America (below sea level).
Terra Explorer Natural wonders
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The Standard resolution model is free as STL, 3MF, Colored 3MF, OBJ and a 16-bit heightmap. High resolution samples the place about ten times more finely.
- Region
- Death Valley
- Position
- 36.2297, -116.7673
- Area
- 20 × 20 km
- Real elevation
- -85 to 1,860 m (1,945 m of relief)
- Printed size
- 150 mm (5.9 in) wide, about 1:133,300
- Heights
- True to scale
- Elevation data
- USGS 3D Elevation Program, 1–10 m per point
- Suggested color
- Desert
- Group
- Natural wonders
About Badwater, Death Valley
Badwater Basin is an endorheic basin in Death Valley National Park, Death Valley, Inyo County, California, United States, noted as the lowest point in North America and the United States, with a depth of 282 ft (86 m) below sea level. The site itself consists of a small spring-fed pool of "bad water" next to the road in a sink; the accumulated salts of the surrounding basin make it non-potable, thus giving it the name. The pool does have animal and plant life, including pickleweed, aquatic insects, and the Badwater snail. Adjacent to the pool, where water is not always present at the surface, repeated freeze–thaw and evaporation cycles gradually push the thin salt crust into hexagonal shapes. The pool is not the lowest point of the basin: the lowest point (which is only slightly lower) is several miles to the west and varies in position, depending on rainfall and evaporation patterns.
From Wikipedia: Badwater Basin, text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. The article’s history lists its authors.
Questions about Badwater, Death Valley
Where is Badwater?
Badwater is in Death Valley at 36.2297, -116.7673. The model covers a 20 by 20 kilometer square around that point.
How high is the terrain in the Badwater model?
The land in this model runs from -85 to 1,860 m (1,945 m of relief). These are the measured heights, printed true to scale.
Can I 3D print Badwater?
Yes. Download the free Standard resolution STL and print it on any FDM or resin printer. It is 150 mm wide and about 19.6 mm tall, on a solid 5 mm base, at a scale of about 1:133,300. It also works for CNC carving. Use Customize to change the width, base thickness or height exaggeration, make it round or add a name plate.
How accurate is the Badwater model?
It is built from real elevation measurements, not an artist's guess: the USGS 3D Elevation Program, mostly airborne laser scans at 1 to 10 meters per point. The shaded picture on this page is made from the same data.
Is the Badwater model free?
The Standard resolution model is free as STL, 3MF, Colored 3MF, OBJ and a 16-bit heightmap. High resolution samples the place about ten times more finely and is a paid upgrade.
What is a Badwater terrain model good for?
People use it as a desk piece, a gift for a traveler or a way to show students how the land is shaped.
About this terrain model
Embossify Terra builds Badwater, Death Valley from real measured elevation, not an artist's guess. In the United States the heights come from the USGS 3D Elevation Program, mostly airborne laser scans that resolve every 1 to 10 meters.
The model covers a 20 by 20 kilometer square centered on 36.2297, -116.7673. It prints 150 mm (5.9 in) wide on a solid base, a scale of about 1:133,300. The heights are true to scale. Land below sea level is kept, so you can see how low it really is.
New to terrain printing? Read how Terra works. The shaded picture on this page is made by Embossify from the same elevation data.
