CHRISTINA SHELBY
Photography 

This photographic series examines the effects of water on the desert environment of the Mojave National Preserve located in the Mojave Desert of California. The desert is defined by scant rainfall, and, yet water can still be found. At Soda Dry Lake, seasonal rains and some underground springs sustain wildlife near Zzyxz, CA.  Soda Dry Lake was once a lush watery environment, but now is a vast, arid playa often punctuated with white lime deposits, swirling dirt devils of wind, and shimmering heat in the summer. Winds blow the lakebed sediments and sands up and into a neighboring valley. Over time these sands have formed both Devil’s Playground and Kelso Dunes. Without the lake waters, these sands and minerals would never have been present and these locations would never have formed. Water has helped to create sand. Water is also part of the erosional forces at work throughout the Preserve and contribute to the continued shaping of the great granite monoliths notable in this area.