# Tell me about Burning Man! **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 6, 2014, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-burning-man/690204 "2014-06-06T14:56:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2023, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-burning-man/690204/61 "2023-09-05T15:30:22Z")
It could be the result of [biological soil crusts](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biological_soil_crust). “The effect biocrust has on water infiltration and the amount of water retained in the soil is greatly dependent on which microorganisms are most dominant in the specific forms of biocrust. Most research studies like that done by Canton et al. support that biological soil crust composed of large amounts of moss and lichens are better able to absorb water resulting in good soil infiltration. In comparison, biocrusts that are dominated by cyanobacteria is more likely to cause biological clogging where the pores of the soil are obstructed by the cyanobacteria responding to the presence of moisture by awakening from their dormancy and swelling.” ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2023, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-burning-man/690204/62 "2023-09-05T16:33:20Z")
> [@Al128](#): > > why doesn’t it drain there better? … I mean its sand Except it’s not sand. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2023, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-burning-man/690204/63 "2023-09-05T19:31:54Z")
I heard on the news there was one death out there. That was early today. Hope no more happen. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2023, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-burning-man/690204/64 "2023-09-05T19:38:53Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > This year, it’s Drowning Man. An act of God, sayeth one Representative from Georgia. > **[Burning Man 2023: How US desert fest turned into a slushy nightmare, with...](https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/burning-man-2023-how-us-desert-fest-turned-into-a-slushy-nightmare-with-some-help-from-nature-632574)** > > Picture this: an arid, otherworldly desert festival, usually the canvas for art installations, radical self-expression, and epic parties. That's the Black Rock Desert in Pershing County, Nevada, the hallowed ground where 'Burning Man' unfolds every... ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2023, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-burning-man/690204/65 "2023-09-05T20:53:37Z")
Uhoh, now they have unleashed the triops. > **[Three-Eyed "Dinosaur Shrimp" Are Waking Up At Burning Man](https://www.iflscience.com/three-eyed-dinosaur-shrimp-are-waking-up-at-burning-man-70529)** > > The human festival is over, but for Triops and fairy shrimp, it's just getting started. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2023, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-burning-man/690204/66 "2023-09-05T20:56:18Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Uhoh, now they have unleashed the triops. And the ~~flying~~ sea monkeys! ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2023, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-burning-man/690204/67 "2023-09-05T21:12:28Z")
It’s not sand, it’s silt. Ever try to wade around in a pond where the bottom is squishy sticky mud up to your knees? It’s that, but dried up. It’s a LAKE BED, which means any water that falls in the vicinity that exceeds the ability of the spot where it falls to absorb it will run off and pool in the lake bed. Which means that silty thick layer under the crust of the lake bed immediately turns back into squishy sticky mud up to your knees. And then some. Then people try to fire up their vehicles and they churn that sticky mess into an even worse sticky mess and expose even deeper layers of silt to the water, making the sticky mud even deeper. And it’s gonna stay just like that until the normal sun and heat dry it up. Which could be days, could be weeks, might be months. The really fun part is that it dries from the top down, so a crust will form that might make people think it’s solid enough to drive out. And they will find out it’s solid enough to walk on, but the heavy vehicles are gonna crash right through the crust and be embedded in mud again. Repeat until nature decides the water is gone. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2023, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-burning-man/690204/68 "2023-09-05T21:17:55Z")
I hope they’re all right! ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2023, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-burning-man/690204/69 "2023-09-05T21:35:53Z")
thx, all … clear as silt now! sounds like the surface is best thought of as “Nes-Mud” 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2023, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-burning-man/690204/70 "2023-09-05T21:50:01Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Uhoh, now they have unleashed the triops. Are those related to horseshoe crabs? Because there is definitely a superficial resemblance. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2023, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-burning-man/690204/71 "2023-09-05T21:55:45Z")
Well, in a broad sense they are both crustaceans, but they aren’t especially closely related. > **[Triops](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triops)** > > Triops is a genus of small crustaceans in the order Notostraca (tadpole shrimp). The long-lasting resting eggs of several species of Triops are commonly sold in kits as pets. The animals hatch upon contact with fresh water. Most adult-stage Triops have a life expectancy of up to 90 days and can tolerate a pH range of 6 to 10. In nature, they often inhabit temporary pools. > The genus Triops can be distinguished from the only other living genus of Notostraca, Lepidurus, by the form of the telson ... ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2023, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-burning-man/690204/72 "2023-09-05T23:44:30Z")
> [@Al128](#): > > sounds like the surface is best thought of as “Nes-Mud” I prefer “instant glop”. ---
**Author:** ![Common\_Tater](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/common_tater/32/13846_2.png) [@Common\_Tater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Common_Tater)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2023, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-burning-man/690204/73 "2023-09-06T01:30:39Z")
It’s the Drowning of the Age of Aquarius! ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2023, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-burning-man/690204/74 "2023-09-06T15:15:08Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Well, in a broad sense they are both crustaceans Horseshoe crabs aren’t crustaceans, they’re chelicerates. Closer to scorpions than shrimp. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2023, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-burning-man/690204/75 "2023-09-06T15:16:50Z")
Right, both arthropods. ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2023, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-burning-man/690204/76 "2023-09-06T17:51:23Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Horseshoe crabs aren’t crustaceans, they’re chelicerates. Closer to scorpions than shrimp. > [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Right, both arthropods. and the thread went full-tilt-Straight-Dope 😉 quite an interesting read on the burning of men [https://edition.cnn.com/2023/09/06/opinions/burning-man-festival-climate-change-filipovic/index.html](https://edition.cnn.com/2023/09/06/opinions/burning-man-festival-climate-change-filipovic/index.html) ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2023, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-burning-man/690204/77 "2023-09-06T18:08:40Z")
It’s just relabeled Kosher Water. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2023, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-burning-man/690204/78 "2023-09-06T19:39:47Z")
> [@SmartAleq](#): > > The really fun part is that it dries from the top down, so a crust will form that might make people think it’s solid enough to drive out. And it just looks a little damp, then suddenly you are sunk up to the axles. And maybe 10 feet away, its dry as a popcorn fart and dusty. Fun indeed! ---
**Author:** ![3AxisCtrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/ecd19e/32.png) [@3AxisCtrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3AxisCtrl)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2023, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-burning-man/690204/79 "2023-09-06T21:44:14Z")
> [@Al128](#): > > quite an interesting read on the burning of men > [https://edition.cnn.com/2023/09/06/opinions/burning-man-festival-climate-change-filipovic/index.html](https://edition.cnn.com/2023/09/06/opinions/burning-man-festival-climate-change-filipovic/index.html) The author of this is confident as to the important message: “Climate change is here, and it’s coming for all of us.” But I’m skeptical - not of climate change, but the extent to which a modest amount of rain during a 9-day period should be taken as an indication of it. Googling seems to indicate it was a half-inch or so - definitely less than one inch. This in an area that averages ~15 inches per year, and thus on average expects a half-inch per 12 days. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2023, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-burning-man/690204/80 "2023-09-06T22:49:46Z")
> [@3AxisCtrl](#): > > This in an area that averages ~15 inches per year, and thus on average expects a half-inch per 12 days. That’s probably not spread out equally over a whole year. Lots of places expect more rain in some months than others. I did a search and found some data for Black Rock Desert. Surprisingly, the rainiest month is August. Strictly speaking, 1.6 inches of rain during a 31-day period centered on August 3. That drops to 0.5 inches for the 31 days around November 14. A half inch in one day at the beginning of September may be more unusual than a simple average makes it sound. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-burning-man/690204.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-burning-man/690204.md?page=5)