148 Chapter 23 Deserts — Physical Geology – 2nd Edition
Chapter 23 Deserts
After carefully reading this chapter, completing the exercises within it, and answering the questions at the end, you should be able to:
- Discuss what characterizes deserts.
- Name and describe the five types of deserts, cite some geographical examples, and why they are located and form how they do.
- To describe and identify erosional and depositional desert features.
- Assess the quality of surface and groundwater in deserts, both in terms of water quality and groundwater depth.
- Describe how deserts form, both citing natural and potential anthropogenic factors.
When one thinks of a desert, most people might think of the following: hot, dry, sand dunes, and perhaps a relative scarcity of life. While those qualities may be true of some deserts, those are not universally true! Deserts offer some of the most unique and important ecosystems on Earth. In addition, approximately one-third of Earths total land surface (Figure 23.1). Thus, knowledge about how deserts work affect a great portion of the world’s population. They also are home to unique combinations of soil profiles, weathering and erosion patterns, surface and groundwater issues, and potential risks for mass wasting.
Also in this chapter, you’ll learn what the role of the Rocky Mountains (or mountain ranges, in general) is in forming desert and semi-arid areas (Figure 23.2).
Figure 23.1: The world map showing the distribution of the world’s most major desert areas.
Figure 23.2: A sunrise view of the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, in the Sangre de Cristo Range, south-central Colorado.
Media Attributions
- Figure 23.1, 2: Wikimedia Commons
