Pages within Topic Outlines

Winds and Deserts

Terms to learn:

desert              exotic stream      playa           deflation
abrasion           alluvial fan         star              barchan
transverse        longitudinal        parabolic      desert pavement

Topic outline:

Distribution of deserts
Characteristic of deserts
1. Internal drainage
  1. exotic streams
  2. playas
2. Weathering
Aeolian (wind) processes
1. Erosion
  1. deflation
  2. abrasion
2. Transportation
3. Deposition
  1. sand dunes - shape
Desert landscapes
1. Basin and Range
  1. alluvial fan
  2. playa
  3. bajada
2. Mesa and Scarp
  1. plateau, mesa, butte, pinnacle

Interesting places to visit:

Good general info: http://www.ontheline.org.uk/explore/nature/deserts/deserts.htm

More general info: http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/deserts/

Virtual field trip: http://wdgdst68.dupage.k12.il.us/jefferson/projects/project2/project2.htm

When you are finished with this topic, you should be able to answer the following questions:

What are the methods by which wind erodes material?
How do sand dunes migrate?
How is desert pavement formed?
What factors contribute to the shape and arrangement of sand dunes?
What are some of the features that you would likely find in a Basin and Range desert landscape? in a Mesa and Scarp landscape?

Housing

Winds and Deserts