Exam 14: Deserts and Wind

__________ commonly form along the front of desert mountains uphill from bajadas.

A __________ is a broad, gently sloping surface eroded into bedrock.

The day after a flash flood, a desert wash may contain only a tiny trickle, and within 24 hours, it may be completely dry again.

Many of the world's deserts lie at 30° south and north latitude because:

Windblown sand is an effective agent of erosion.

Death Valley:

__________ __________ __________ form on the leeward sides of a mountain range.

Wind-scoured depressions are called __________.

Many of the world's deserts lie at about __________ south and north latitude because here sinking air absorbs water, the ground surface is dry, and rainfall is infrequent.

The __________ is the semiarid zone south of the Sahara desert.

In the Atacama Desert of South America:

A bajada is an erosional surface.

A crescent-shaped dune with its tips pointing downwind that forms in rocky deserts with little sand is a __________ dune.

Salt deposits are found on playas because:

Migrating dunes can overrun buildings and highways.

A desert is defined as any region that receives less than __________ centimeters of rain per year.

Desert pavement forms because:

Desert streams usually receive their moisture from wetter, mountainous lands on their borders.

When a dry desert streambed suddenly fills with water during a rainstorm, this is called a/an __________ flood.

The sand on the slip face of a dune is loose compared to the windward face.