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                                        | Sakt Flats |  
                                        | The salt flats in Badwater Basin cover nearly 200 square miles, among the largest protected salt flats in the world. Three basic things are needed for salt flats to form:
 
 * source of salts, usually from a large drainage system
 * enclosed basin that doesn't drain to the sea and wash away the salts
 * arid climate where evaporation exceeds precipitation, leaving behind just the salts and fine silt
 
 Source: National Park Service
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