The megacrack pattern of the ephemeral north Panamint dry lake, California, United States, is characterized by variably sized polygons with diameters ranging from hundreds of meters to meters. The evolution and subsurface extent of this polygonal pattern and a probable tectonic link are examined by ground resistivity measurements and surface mapping. Crack development is initiated by the shrinking of clays caused by changes in water content near the surface. For crack evolution, the following processes are proposed: Cavities develop at approximately 1-m (3-ft) depth during a subsurface phase, followed by the collapse of the overburden into the existing cavities to form the surface cracks. Cracks are filled by wind-blown sand and dried-out lake sediments from collapsing crack walls. Following burial, differences in competence between crack-fill and surrounding playa-lake sediments provide zones of structural weakness that might channelize stress release and faulting. Ground resistivity measurements confirmed the extent of the cracks to a depth of more than 3 m (9 ft). The megacrack pattern is compared to a Rotliegende (Upper Permian) tight gas field, located in the southern Permian Basin of northwestern Germany, situated in a comparable geologic setting. There, a multidirectional polygonal pattern is recorded on horizon slices of three-dimensional seismic data and compares well to our observations from the Panamint Valley. The Rotliegende pattern is associated with low-offset faults, which are proposed to be responsible for subtle reservoir compartmentalization.