Trona and Searles Lake, California

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. Searles Valley Minerals is the current operator of the mining and processing complexes around the lake, extracting primarily soda ash (used in glass-making and detergents), salt, and borax, a widely-used chemical compound. The company town of Trona, located next to the main plant, is home to the families of the employees who work at the plants.