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The desert extends for approximately 100 miles (160km) northwest from the town of Gerlach-Empire, between the Jackson Mountains to the east and the Black Rock Range to the west. It is partially drained by the intermittent Quinn River, which has no outlet but evaporates as it crosses the desert.
The flatness of the surface has led to its use as a proving ground for experimental land vehicles. It was the site of the most recent successful attempts on the World Land Speed Record . In 1983, Richard Noble drove the jet-powered Thrust2 car to a new record of 633 mile per hour. Noble also headed up the team that beat the Thrust 2 record. In 1997, ThrustSSC became the world's first, and so far only, supersonic car.
It has become famous as the site of the annual Burning Man festival. It is informally referred to by burners as the "Playa."