Mastering Geology Chapter 19 Deserts and Wind
What is an ephemeral stream?
an intermittent stream that carries water only in response to specific episodes of rainfall
What is interior drainage?
interior drainage is when an arid region exhibits a discontinuous pattern of intermittent streams that do not flow out of the desert to the ocean
What is dust?
the particles carried in suspension by wind
Which of the following accurately describes the Basin and Range region of the western United States?
a region with alternating mountains and basins that have been produced by normal faulting
What is a playa commonly occupied by?
an ephemeral lake
An isolated, heavily eroded hill or mountain that rises abruptly from a plain is a(n) _______.
inselberg
soil
is not found in deserts because there are fewer plants than in more humid climates
evaporation
is often characteristic of a climate with high temperatures and low humidity
What factor limits the depths of blowouts?
the local water table
What is the most important erosional agent in deserts?
water
How does the rate of rock weathering in dry climates compare with the rate in humid regions?
dry climates have much lower rates of chemical weathering and mechanical weathering than humid climates
Why is it impossible to define the boundary between humid climates and dry climates by a single precipitation amount?
dryness is not only related to annual precipitation totals, but is also a function of evaporation
What type of rocks would you expect to find in a playa lake depositional environment?
evaporites and clay stone
Which one of the following is an evaporite mineral?
gypsum
What are two hypotheses that are used to explain the formation of desert pavement?
pavement develops on a surface that initially consists of coarse particles. Fine, windblown grains sift and settle downward between the larger surface stones wind removes sand and silt from poorly sorted surface deposits until all of the fine particles are gone, leaving only pebbles that are too large to be moved by the wind.
What is the natural angle of repose for sand?
34 degrees
A(n) _______ is a cone-shaped deposit of sediment that is deposited when a stream exits the mouth of a canyon.
alluvial fan
semiarid
also known as steppe. are a type of dry climate that contain more water than arid climates
How do pieces of rock move under the influence of wind?
rolling, sliding, bouncing, suspension
Other than the landforms you learned about in the video, what is another landform present in the Basin and Range Province?
sand dunes
What does salivating mean?
sand grans are lifted by the wind, leap a short distance, and then fall back to the ground
What property of a piece of material will most directly determine how it is carried by wind?
size
How is loess related to glaciers
when glaciers retreat, their meltwater contains loess, which can be picked up by winds and distributed elsewhere