Zamoyo za ku Chigwa Chotchedwa Death Valley

M’CHAKA cha 1848, ku dera la pafupi ndi mzinda wa Sacramento, ku California, m’dziko la United States, kunapezeka miyala ya golide. Pomatha chaka chimodzi chokha, anthu ofunafuna chuma okwana 80,000 anali atakhamukira kumeneko n’cholinga chofuna kulemera. Pa December 25, 1849, gulu lina linagawanika kuchoka ku gulu la anthu loyenda pa ngolo zokwana 100. Linalowera chakumadzulo kwa mzinda wa Salt Lake City, n’kukafika ku chigwa china chimene tsopano chimatchedwa kuti Death Valley. Anthu amenewa ankaganiza kuti ngati atadzera ku chigwa chimenechi, kufupi ndi malire a California ndi Nevada, ndiye kuti akafika msanga kumene akupita.

Panthawi imene anafika ku chigwa chimenechi n’kuti kukuzizira koma malo ake anali oopsa kwambiri kuyendamo. Gululi linapatukananso n’kupanga magulu angapo omwe analowera kosiyanasiyana. Kagulu kamodzi, komwe kanali ndi ana komanso akazi kanayesetsa koma mosaphula kanthu kutuluka m’chigwachi pokwera mapiri omwe anali kumadzulo kwake. Atatopa komanso chakudya chitawathera, anamanga msasa pa kasupe wina pafupi ndi malo amene panopa amatchedwa Furnace Creek, kenako anasamukira pafupi ndi chitsime china chomwe pambuyo pake chinatchedwa Bennett’s Well (Chitsime cha Bennett). Anyamata awiri a zaka 20, William Manly ndi John Rogers anachoka pamenepa n’kupita kokapempha thandizo.

Manly ndi Rogers ankaganiza kuti akafika ku mzinda wa Los Angeles m’masiku ochepa chabe. Sanadziwe n’komwe kuti mzindawu unali kutali kwambiri, kofunikira kuyenda pafupifupi makilomita 300 kulowera kum’mwera chakumadzulo. Atayenda pafupifupi milungu iwiri wapansi, anakatulukira ku chigwa cha San Fernando, kumpoto kwa mzinda wa Los Angeles. Kumeneku, anapeza chakudya ndipo atatero anauyatsanso ulendo wobwerera.

Anafika pa msasa paja patatha masiku 25 chichokereni, ndipo sanaonepo munthu aliyense. Manly ataomba mfuti, m’pamene anaona munthu akutulukira kuchokera pansi pa ngolo. Kenaka Manly anadzalemba kuti: “Munthuyo anafuula ataika manja pamutu kuti, ‘anyamata aja afika! Anyamata aja afika!’” Anthu enanso anatulukira, ndipo ankachita kulephera kulankhula posakhulupirira kuti abweradi. Chifukwa cha Manly ndi Rogers, pafupifupi onse anapulumuka, kupatulapo mmodzi yekha amene anafa pamene amafuna kutuluka yekha m’chigwachi. Pa nthawi imene gululi limachoka, akuti mayi wina anayang’ana kumbuyo n’kunena kuti, ‘Tsala bwino Death Valley! (Chigwa cha Imfa)’ Apa m’pamene panayambira dzina la chigwa chimenechi.

Malo Osinthasintha Ndiponso a Zinthu Zosiyana Kwambiri

Chigwa cha Death Valley ndi malo ouma kwambiri, otsika kwambiri, ndi otentha kwambiri ku North America konse ndipo ndi aakulu makilomita 225 m’litali, ndi makilomita pakati pa 8 ndi 24 m’lifupi. Mpweya wa ku Furnace Creek nthawi ina unatenthapo kufika madigiri seshasi 57 pamene panthaka pake panatentha kufika madigiri seshasi 94, kungotsala madigiri seshasi 6 kuti kutentha kwake kufike pa kutentha kumene kumafunika kuti madzi awire! *

Ku chigwachi kumagwa mvula yochepa zedi ndipo nthawi zambiri sipitirira masentimita 5 chaka chonse. Zaka zina siigwa n’komwe. Ndipo malo otsika kwambiri kumadzulo konse kwa Ulaya amapezeka ku chigwa chimenechi. Malowa ali ku Badwater, pafupi ndi dziwe la madzi a mchere kwambiri ndipo ndi otsika ndi mamita 86 kuchokera pamene madzi a m’nyanja amalekezera. Makilomita 140 kuchokera pamalo amenewa, pali phiri lotchedwa Mount Whitney, lotalika mamita 4,418. Phiri limeneli n’lalitali kwambiri ku United States konse kusiyapo mapiri a ku Alaska.

M’chaka cha 1850, kunapezekanso golidi wina pang’ono m’chigwachi pa malo otchedwa Salt Spring. Anthu ofufuza miyala yamtengo wapatali anapezakonso siliva, mkuwa, ndi mtovu. M’malo osiyanasiyana m’chigwachi komwe kunali migodi, kunabadwa mizinda yambiri ya mayina ochititsa chidwi, monga Bullfrog, Greenwater, Rhyolite, ndi Skidoo. Koma miyala ya mtengo wapataliyi  itatha, mizinda imeneyi nayonso inafwifwiratu. Komabe m’chaka cha 1880, ku chigwa cha Death Valley komweko kunapezeka miyala yotchedwa borax, imene amaipera n’kupangira sopo ndi zinthu zina. Zimenezi zinachititsa kuti ntchito yamigodi ipite patsogolo kwambiri kuposa kale lonse. Ntchitoyi inapitirira mpaka m’chaka cha 1888, ndipo magulu angapo a anthu onyamula borax, gulu lililonse lokhala ndi ngolo yotalika mamita 5 yokokedwa ndi abulu 18 ndi akavalo awiri, ankanyamula miyalayi pa mtunda wa makilomita 270 kupita nayo ku tawuni ya Mojave. Koma sankanyamula miyalayi kuyambira mwezi wa June kufika September, chifukwa m’miyezi imeneyi kunkatentha kwambiri moti palibe munthu kapena nyama imene ikanatha kupirira kutentha kotereko.

Chigwa cha Death Valley chinapatulidwa n’kukhala malo otetezedwa ndi boma m’chaka cha 1933. Malowa anawakulitsa pang’onopang’ono mpaka kukwana mahekitala 1.3 miliyoni. M’chaka cha 1994, malowa anawatcha Death Valley National Park, omwe ndi amodzi a malo aakulu kwambiri osungirako zachilengedwe ku United States konse.

Chigwa cha Death Valley N’chodzadza ndi Zamoyo

Malinga ndi mmene chigwa cha Death Valley chimaonekera, zingakhale zomveka ngati munthu ataganiza kuti kumalo amenewa kulibe zamoyo zilizonse. Koma zoona zake n’zakuti, ku chigwa chimenechi kuli mitundu yosiyanasiyana ya zinyama, zina zakomweko ndipo zina zobwera, ndipo chifukwa chakuti n’kotentha kwambiri zambiri zimayenda usiku wokhawokha. Nyama yaikulu kwambiri imene mungaipeze kumeneko ndi nkhosa yaulemerero wake ya kuchipululu ya nyanga zazikulu,  imene nthawi zambiri imabwera ku chigwachi kuchokera ku mapiri oyandikana nawo. Zamoyo zina zimene zimapezekako ndi mbira, mileme, avumbwe, mimbulu, ankhandwe, mbewa za miyendo ya m’mbuyo italiitali, mikango ya m’phiri, anungu, akalulu, akanyimbi, abulu a m’tchire, abuluzi, njoka, ndi akamba am’chipululu. Kumapezekanso mbalame monga mphamba, zipiyo, akakowa, zinziri, akhwangwala, nkhwazi, mbalame zokonda kukhala mphepete mwa madzi, ndi mbalame zina zambiri.

Nyama zimene zili zopirira kwambiri pa zonsezi ndi mbewa za miyendo ya m’mbuyo italiitali. Zimatha kukhala moyo wawo wonse osamwa madzi ngakhale dontho! Magazini inayake inati: “Madzi onse amene zimafunikira kuti zikhale ndi moyo, amapangidwa m’thupi mwawo momwemo kuchokera ku njere zouma zimene zimadya.” Ndipo impso zawo zingathe kuchititsa kuti mkodzo wawo uzikhala ndi mchere wambiri kupitirira kasanu mchere umene umakhala mu mkodzo wa munthu. Mbewa zimenezi, zimenenso zimakonda kukumba mayenje, zimafunafuna chakudya chake usiku chifukwa masana kumatentha kwambiri.

M’chigwa chimenechi mulinso mitundu yambirimbiri ya zomera yoposa 1,000. Amwenye a ku America otchedwa a Shoshone, amene akhala m’chigwachi zaka zoposa 1,000, amapeza chakudya chawo kuchokera ku mitengo imeneyi ndipo amaigwiritsanso ntchito kupangira zipangizo zogwiritsira ntchito panyumba. Iwo amati ngati mutadziwa zinthu zimene zimadyedwa, mukhoza kupeza chakudya chochuluka ku Death Valley.

 M’Chipululu Mukaphuka Maluwa

Nthawi ndi nthawi, chigwa cha Death Valley chimabala maluwa okongola kwambiri a kuthengo. Maluwa amenewa amamera kuchokera ku njere zogonera munthaka, zimene zimangodikirira kuti tsiku lina kukadzagwa mvula yabwino ndiponso kukadzatentha moyenera zidzaphuke. Katswiri wina wazomera, dzina lake Tim Croissant anathirirapo ndemanga kuti: “Nthawi zina pamatha zaka zambiri ndithu maluwawa asanaphukenso.”

Koma m’nyengo yozizira ya chaka cha 2004 ndi 2005, ku chigwa cha Death Valley kunagwa mvula yambiri zedi, kupitirira katatu mvula imene imagwa nthawi zonse. Chotsatirapo chake chinali choti kunaphuka mitundu yosiyanasiyana ya maluwa a kuthengo yoposa 50, kuphatikizapo ma larkspur, ma lilac, ma orchid, ma poppy, ma primrose, mpendadzuwa, ndi ma verbena. Mayi wina ataona maluwa okongolawa anati m’chigwamu munkanunkhira ngati m’sitolo yogulitsira maluwa. Ndipo kumati kukangophuka maluwa, kumadzadza njuchi ndi tizilombo tina tambiri. Choncho ku chigwa cha Death Valley kukaphuka maluwa chonchi, kumangomveka phokoso la tizilombo tambirimbiri tikuuluka.

Ngati mukufuna kukaona chigwa chimenechi, onetsetsani kuti muli ndi galimoto yodalirika ndiponso madzi okwanira chifukwa ku chigwaku kumasinthasintha. Ndipo mukadzabwera maluwa atamasula kuli njuchi zambiri, musadzaiwale kubwera ndi kamera yanu. Abale anu ndi anzanu adzachita chidwi kwambiri ndi kuchuluka kwa zinyama ndi zomera zimene mungajambule ku Death Valley.

[Mawu a M’munsi]

[Mawu Otsindika patsamba 23]

Malo amene ndi ouma kwambiri, otsika kwambiri, ndiponso otentha kwambiri ku North America konse

[Bokosi/Zithunzi patsamba 25]

Nsomba M’chipululu!

Ku chigwa cha Death Valley, kumapezeka mitundu inayi ya nsomba zing’onozing’ono zochititsa chidwi kwambiri zotchedwa desert pupfish. M’nyengo yozizira, nsomba zooneka mowala kwambiri zimenezi, zotalika masentimita 6 zimabisala m’matope a pansi pa madzi m’timitsinje ndi maiwe. Kenaka, kunja kukayamba kutentha, zimatuluka n’kuyamba kuberekana. Nsomba zazimuna zimasintha mtundu wawo n’kukhala zobiriwira kwambiri ndipo zimateteza kwambiri dera lawo kuti nsomba zamphongo zina zisafikeko. Koma m’nyengo yotentha kwambiri, madzi amauma ndi dzuwa ndipo nsomba zambiri zimafa. Nsomba zimene zingapulumuke kutenthaku, ziyenerabe kupirira kukhala m’madzi a mchere ndi otentha kwambiri, omwe nthawi zina amafika madigiri seshasi 44.

[Mawu a Chithunzi]

Top fish: © Neil Mishalov--www.mishalov.com; bottom fish: Donald W. Sada, Desert Research Institute

[Mapu patsamba 14]

(Onani m’magazini yeniyeni kuti mumvetse izi)

United States of America

California

Death Valley National Park

[Mawu a Chithunzi patsamba 23]

Mules: Courtesy of The Bancroft Library/University of California, Berkeley

[Mawu a Chithunzi patsamba 24]

Burros: ©Joseph C. Dovala/​age fotostock; top panorama: © Neil Mishalov--www.mishalov.com; flowers: Photo by David McNew/​Getty Images