The sediment of this dry lake bed, located in the isolated southern end of Panamint Valley, is said to contain traces of nearly all known elements, and has been mined for several decades by local industries. The IMC Chemical company is the current operator of the mining and processing complexes around the lake, extracting primarily soda ash (used in glass-making and detergents) and borax. The company town of Trona, located next to the main plant, is home to the families of the 750 people that work at the plants.