2014 Map of Las Playas

About this map

Las Playas occupies the center of this arid landscape, straddling the international boundary between the United States and Mexico. This 2014 survey documents a remote desert environment where geological features dominate the terrain. To the northwest, the Pinacate Lava Flow edges into the Pinacate Valley, illustrating the volcanic origins of the regional geology. This section of the Tule Desert is defined by ephemeral water systems, most notably the seasonal drainage of Papago Wash in the east. The map provides a precise record of the border's path across these varied landforms, marking the transition from gravelly plains to volcanic remnants in a region defined by its extreme isolation and hydrological patterns.