Dry lakes are ephemeral lakebeds, or a remnant of an endorheic lake. Such flats consist of fine-grained sediments infused with alkali salts. Dry lakes are also referred to as alkali flats, sabkhas, playas or mud flats. If the surface is primarily salt then they are called salt pans, pans, hardpan, or salt flats (remnants of salt lakes).
The Spanish word playa (pronounced: [ˈplaʝa]) literally means "beach". Dry lakes are known by this name in some parts of Mexico and the western United States. This term is also used on the Llano Estacado and other parts of the Southern High Plains.
In South America, the usual term for a dry lake is salar, Spanish for "salt pan".
Pan is the term used in most of South Africa. These may include the small round highveld pans, typical of the Chrissiesmeer area, to the extensive pans of the Northern Cape province, which are sometimes employed for land speed record attempts. It is also used in Australia. Distinguished are salt pans and clay pans.
Hardpan is a dry terminus of an internally drained basin in a dry climate, typically used in the Great Basin of the western US.