University:
Durham Technical Community College
Course:
GEL-111 | Geology
Academic year:

2024
Views:

218

Pages:

1
Author:

Amy TGT

Deserts ? Deserts cover about 25% of the Earth's crust desert - a land of extreme aridity (dryness) and sparse vegetation - temperature does not matter - EX: Sahara, Kalahari, Antarctica Subtropical Deserts - a single heart source within the desert - moist air rises above this heat source, then disperses & dries Rain-Shadow Deserts - ocean winds driven over coastal mountains - cool air dries out Coastal Deserts - deserts on the coast (duh) - the cold ocean nearby w/ cool air hovering over it - warmer atmospheric air traps cold air beneath it Polar Deserts - ice physical/mechanical weathering - when rocks are physically broken down into smaller fragments (by water or wind chemical weathering - when rocks undergo chemical reactions and their compositions change Water & Wind Erosion alluvial fans - 2D conical accumulations of sand (formed when water runs out of the mouth of a canyon and drops sediment below) playas – salt lakes that form in the desert