Exam 14: Deserts and Wind

In North America, loess deposits that accumulated during the Pleistocene were deposited as far south as ____.

Where is the largest dune field located and how big is it?

Lithified sand dunes are called ____.

Loess particles stick together so effectively that they form vertical bluffs and cliffs.

Sand grains in deserts are transported by wind close to the ground in an asymmetric jumping movement called ____________________.

Describe the landscape in the desert and the effect that rain can have on the landscape.

Which states does the Colorado Plateau encompass?

Any region that receives less than 25 centimeters of rain per year and supports little or no vegetation is a(n) ____________________.

Describe the development of the Colorado Plateau.

Playas are often a source of economically valuable ____.

What type of dune is crescent-shaped with its tips pointing downwind, and forms in rocky deserts with little sand?

Windblown sand is an effective agent of erosion.

The Great Basin is an example of a coastal desert.

Why is the Atacama Desert of South America dry?

Pediments are generally covered by layers of gravel hundreds of meters thick.

Compare and contrast a bajada and pediment and how they are related.

Dry, sinking air results in many of the world's deserts being located at ____ south and north latitudes.

Wind-scoured depressions that form in bare areas among desert plants are called ____.

Brief, intense local floods, called ____________________ are common following desert rainstorms.

In the Great Basin of the western United States, ____.