Exam 14: The Work of Wind and Deserts

Wind-blown deposits of silt and clay are called:

The drainage characteristic of most deserts in which streams dry up and do not have enough water to become integrated and reach outside their drainage areas is called ____________________ drainage.

Why is wind unable to transport sediment with the same grain size competency as water?

Desertification is taking place in the Sahara but not in the developed world.

What type of weathering is dominant in deserts and why? What about other types of weathering?

Sandblasting in nature is caused by the process of saltation.

All deserts are found within the low and middle latitudes.

What can lithified or ancient sand dunes tell us?

Briefly explain how the geological conditions that produced and deposited loess have determined the sites of the world's major grain belts.

The two types of sediment load transported by wind are ____________________ and ____________________ load.

Alluvial fan sediment is deposited by flashflood, sheet flow, mudflow, and debris flow.

Since most deserts have internal drainage, why are there through-flowing streams, such as the Nile, Niger, Indus, and Colorado Rivers in some deserts?

Wind erosion appears to be most important in the formation of pediments.

Define the Coriolis effect. Which direction does Coriolis deflect winds? What does the word "apparent" mean in the definition?

The most mobile dunes are:

The same geological agents work in all deserts, so landforms of various deserts are similar.

How do sand dunes migrate?

The size of particles that are usually the first to be set in motion by wind is(are):

In the desert, wind is a more effective agent of erosion and deposition than water.

What factors enhance water erosion in deserts?