playa
n. countablen. a flat, dry area at the bottom of a desert basin. It is usually covered in salt or dried mud because water only stays there for a short time after it rains.
n. a dry, vegetation-free flat area at the lowest point of an undrained desert basin. It typically consists of fine-grained sediment and evaporated mineral salts deposited after ephemeral lake waters evaporate.
The car drove fast across the flat surface of the playa.
During the summer months, the playa becomes a cracked expanse of white salt that reflects the intense desert sun.
Geologists studied the sediment layers of the playa to reconstruct the hydrological history of the region, noting that the surface remains impassable for weeks following rare torrential downpours.
Borrowed from Spanish playa (“beach”). Doublet of plage.
From a non-rhotic pronunciation of player
Commonly used in geological and geographical contexts; the term is of Spanish origin.