Fine-grained bed of ephemeral lake in a desert is also known as

A playa is a nearly level, fine-grained plain located at the center of a desert basin [2]. These landforms are characterized as ephemeral or intermittent lakes that fill with shallow water only for short durations following heavy rainfall or thunderstorms [2]. Due to high rates of evaporation and percolation in arid environments, these temporary water bodies disappear quickly, leaving behind a bed of fine-grained sediments and salts [1][2]. When these dry lake beds are heavily encrusted with salts, they are often referred to as alkali flats or salinas [2]. Playas are considered the flattest landforms on Earth and are typically found in bolsons, where internal drainage systems deposit sediments from surrounding mountain margins [2]. In contrast, an oasis is a vegetated area around a spring, a drumlin is a glacial landform, and a natural levee is a fluvial feature.

Sources

1. [2] FUNDAMENTALS OF PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY, Geography Class XI (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 6: Landforms and their Evolution > Playas > p. 60
2. [1] Certificate Physical and Human Geography , GC Leong (Oxford University press 3rd ed.) > Chapter 9: Lakes > General > p. 81