CE/SC 10110-20110: Planet Earth

Deserts

Earth
Portrait of a Planet
Fifth Edition

Chapter 21

Definition of a Desert!
Area with less than 25 cm of precipitation annually.!
It is NOT defined by temperature - it is defined by ardity.!
Distribution: Zones of high pressure at ~30˚N & S, as well as 90˚N
& S. Also leeward sides of mountains.!

Deserts have no permanent surface water,<15% vegetation cover.!

Arid nature produced by high and low temperatures as well as
orographic lifting.!
Little chemical weathering - bare bedrock, wind blown sand, cobbles,
and salt precipitation.! 2
 Definition of a Desert!
Desert land surfaces often include:
• Exposed bedrock
• Accumulated clasts
• Unweathered sediment
• Precipitated salt
• Windblown sand
Mirages, which look like distant
water, result from light interacting
with heated air just above the
ground surface.

Each desert has unique

characteristics of landscape and
vegetation. Geologists group
deserts into one of five classes.

Five Categories:!
Types of Deserts !
Subtropical Deserts: (Sahara, Arabian, Kalahari, Australian) form
where convection cells diverge. Has very little water, which has
condensed out after rising at the equator. Dense air mass moves to the
equator with high evaporation rates as sinking dense air heats up.!
Found from 20o to 30o N and S
latitude across geologic time.

Rain Shadow Deserts: (Washington State, east of the Cascades) !

4
 Types of Deserts!
Coastal Deserts: formed along cold
coastal currents. The cold Humboldt
current flows from Antarctica to
southern Chile. Sucks the heat (and
moisture) out of the air. Atacama
Desert had no rain from 1570-1971.!

Cool air over cold ocean water

holds little moisture. This air
absorbs moisture when it 5
interacts with land.

Types of Deserts!
Continental Interior Deserts: Long way from oceans (e.g., central
Asia), air has to rise from ocean and drops moisture close to the coast.!
Deserts of the Polar Regions: air
has moved north and cooled by cold
oceans (reduced moisture). Now it
rises, expands and rises further.
Above 66º N and S latitude there is
very little moisture in the air due to
cold temperatures. Air circulation
carries air to the polar regions, but it
is so cold, the air can’t hold any
moisture.
Plate tectonics plays important role
in distribution of deserts on the
6
continents.!
 Weathering & Erosion in Deserts!
Weathering!
Physical weathering occurs along joints - expansion and contraction due to
temperature changes. Lack of soil allows these blocks to build up (as
TALUS) at the bottom of slopes and keeps bedrock exposed on slopes.!
Chemical weathering does
occur, but slowly. Dew and
some rain percolates in cracks
and fractures and leaches
material out of the rock,
reducing its integrity.!
Amount of water is not
enough to flush it out of the
system. Deposits material
lower down - if calcite has
been dissolved calcrete is Calcrete!
deposited because it cements
loose grains together.!

Weathering & Erosion in Deserts!

Weathering!
Desert Varnish: wind-borne dust settles on rocks. When dew precipitates,
bacteria metabolize these particles and deposit Fe- and Mn-oxides. Takes a
long time to form, but Native Americans made use of it for artwork
(petroglyphs).!
 Weathering & Erosion in Deserts!
Lack of vegetation means
variations in bedrock color stands
out (e.g., Painted Desert, N.
Arizona - variations in the amount
of Fe and/or the amount of
oxidation).!

Water Erosion!
Deserts get most of their rain
all at once. Lack of vegetation
means loose material is easily
moved. Streams are ephemeral.!
Deep channels with steep sides
are carved, called Dry Washes
or Arroyos in the US - Wadis
in the Middle East. Flash
floods are common.!
9

Weathering & Erosion in Deserts!

Though rare, water is the dominant force shaping landscapes. Desert

landscapes reveal dry drainages. Sediment erodes quickly when
torrential rains generate dangerous flash floods characterized by
rapid flow of thick, muddy, and viscous water. Flash floods quickly
infiltrate dry streambeds. 10
 Weathering & Erosion in Deserts!
Wind Erosion!
Can carry sediments long distances, including uphill.!
Initial movement = deflation – requires dry grains that are not restricted
by vegetation (or water).!
Deflation = the sorting out, lifting, and removal of loose dry, fine-
grained particles by turbulent eddy action of a fluid.!
Critical Velocity = velocity of
fluid flow at which flow changes
from laminar to turbulent. In
comparison, water can move
larger material with lower
velocity.! Why?!
Settling Velocity: the rate at
which suspended solids subside
and are deposited.!

Weathering & Erosion in Deserts!

Wind Erosion!
Depends upon grain size and wind velocity.
Grains >0.2 mm: !!
!Traction (rolling, bouncing "
!along ground).!
!Saltation (jumping) to "
!about 5 above the ground "
!(sand storms).!
Grains <0.2 mm: !
!Suspended (dust storms).!
All three make up the
surface load of the wind.!
Lag Deposit: coarse material
left behind by wind.!
 Weathering & Erosion in Deserts!
Desert Pavement!
Mosaic of tightly fitting stones
above a finer fraction that form a
relatively smooth surface.!

Theories of formation:!
1) They are a lag deposit.!
2)!They are a product of sheetwash erosion.!
3)!Wetting of soils causes clays to expand pushing larger stones
upward. Drying shrinks the clays and the stones settle down
fitting together tightly.! 13

Weathering & Erosion in Deserts!

4)!Bubbles formed by bacteria metabolism gradually buoy stones
upward.!
5) Wind blown fine sediment
is deposited between the
stones and washes down.
The stones were never
buried, but this is a way
to increase the thickness
of the finer layer beneath
them.!
 Ventifacts

15

Yardangs
Perched rocks. Pedestal formed
by sand blasting (abrasion).!

16
 Deflation
Process of lowering the land surface.!
Blowout: depression scooped out by deflation.!Erosion stops when the
water table is reached.!

17

Development of Landforms in Basin & Range Topography

Alluvial Fan: deposit of sediment at the mouth of a valley.!

Talus Slope: deposit of weathered material along a 18

steep slope.!
Development of Landforms in Basin & Range Topography
Alluvial Fan: deposit of sediment at the mouth of a valley.!
Bajada: wedge of sediment along a mountain front formed by calescence of alluvial
fans.!
Pediment: bedrock surfaces that extend out from the mountain front to the alluvium-
filled valleys. Formed by sheetwash.!
Pediment + Bajada = PIEDMONT!

19

Playas & Salt Lakes!

Playas: remnants of temporary
lakes. Salt encrusted clay
deposits. Very flat! Salts include
halite, gypsum, borax, etc.!

When it does rain, the surface becomes slippery -

rocks can be blown over the surface.!

If there is sufficient water flowing into a desert

basin, a salt lake may form due to great
evaporation concentrating the dissolved ions.
The Great Salt Lake in Utah is the remnant of a
much larger lake - Lake Bonneville. !
20
Development of Landforms in Basin & Range Topography

21

Playas & Salt Lakes!

Playa Lake Bed - Salt Encrusted

Mud-cracked
playa surface
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 EOLIAN LANDSCAPES!
Recognition of eolian features in the geologic record is key in
understanding paleoclimatology. !
Look for:
1) !Dune-scale cross-bedding;!
2) Sediments are extremely well sorted;!
3) Sediment grain "
composition "
dominated by "
quartz;
5) Frosted quartz
grains due to
abrasion and
chemical etching;!
6) Terrestrial fossils.!

EOLIAN LANDSCAPES!
Cliff Retreat: due to joints being weakened through weathering and
lack of vegetation to smooth out the slope. Older = more irregular.!

Cliff retreat on all sides produces islands of

rocks or inselbergs – pointed hills.!

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 Desert Landscapes: Inselbergs

EOLIAN LANDSCAPES!
Rock Features of the Southwest!
Plateaus: broad, flat-topped areas elevated above the
surrounding land and bounded, at least in part, by cliffs.!
Mesa: broad, flat-topped hill bounded by cliffs and capped
with a resistant rock layer - wider than it is high.!
Butte: narrow hill of resistant rock with a flat top and very
steep sides - about as wide as it is high.!
Monument/Chimney: pillar-like spire of resistant rock with a
flat top and steep sides, much taller than it is wide.!
Plateau > Mesa > Butte > Monument/Chimney!
Apart from climate, what is the main control on the development
of these features?! 26
 EOLIAN LANDSCAPES!
Cuesta: Asymmetric ridge developed due to gently dipping strata;!
Hogback: Symmetric risge developed due to steeply dipping strata.!

Differential Erosion of a
Monocline

28
 Landscape Evolution

Eolian Deposits!
LOESS: silt-size, extensively well-sorted sediments, unstratified,
cohesion strong due to fine grain size. Can reach >100 m thick (e.g.,
Gobi Desert).!

Definition: diameter of particles between 4.0 and 62.5 µm. Clay is

<4.0 µm.
What is the glacial equivalent of loess?! 30
 Eolian Deposits!

31

Dune Formation & Migration!

Dunes are typically a few meters high, but can be 200 m by 100 km!
Formation: movement of sand is retarded by an obstacle (wind shadow) & low
pressure eddies result in deposition.!

Gentle slope windward; steep slip-face

~34˚ leeward.!
Migration: can be >15 miles/year, but
this depends upon wind velocity,
persistence, obstacles. Migration produces
cross bedding.!
What is the transportation process
depicted in these diagrams?!
 Transport

Ripples

Sand is blown up the gentle upwind slope.

Dune shape is dependent upon:

(i) !Velocity and persistence of wind;!
(ii) Abundance of sand;!
(iii) Vegetation.!

Sand Dunes!
1) Irregular: Beach
Dunes – hummocky,
variable onshore/
offshore winds,
vegetation present.!
Can produce star dunes
if wind direction is
variable.!

34
 Sand Dunes!
2) Crescentric:!
Barchan Dunes – horns point downwind, bows into wind; gentle slope
into the wind, steep slip face on the inside of the arc; limited sand.!

35

Sand Dunes!
2) Crescentric:!
Parabolic Dunes – horns point upwind, bows downwind;
shallow slope into wind; steep slip face on outside of the arc;
forms around a blowout or deflation hollow; abundant sand.!

36
 Sand Dunes!
3) Elongate:!
Transverse Dunes –
perpendicular to wind, steep slip
face; abundant sand.!

Sand Dunes!
3) Elongate:!
Longitudinal or Seif Dunes– parallel to wind; limited sand.!

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 Sand Dunes!
Fossil Sand Dunes!

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Environmental Aspects of Wind!

Unprotected fields – soil blown away during dry periods (e.g., dust
bowl of the thirties – dust storm in Colorado drops 166,000 tons of
dust on Kansas. Dust clouds up to 12,000 feet. Dust blocks out sun
in New York city.!

Changing climates cause desert

encroachment on cities = desert-
ification; caused by overuse of land.!
Violent storms especially in tropics.!
Wind power.! 40
 Desertification
Expansion of Deserts.
Caused by: overgrazing, overpopulation, water diversions.
Too many people = over farming and increased water use.
Diversion of water for agriculture upstream.
Climate change - drought.

41

The Aral Sea!

42
 Desertification
Fishing boats
engulfed in a sea of
sand.
Aral Sea .

Summary!
Definition: Based on aridity, not temperature. Found where atmospheric
convection cells diverge/converge.!
5 Desert Types: Subtropical Deserts; Rain Shadow Deserts; Coastal Deserts;
Continental Interior Deserts; Polar Deserts.!
Weathering: Physical Weathering; Chemical Weathering (slow) - leaching and
calcrete formation. Desert Varnish.!
Water Erosion: Water - Dry Washes/Arroyos/Wadis; Slot Canyons.!
Wind Erosion: Deflation; Critical Velocity; Settling Velocity; Traction; Saltation;
Suspended Load; Surface Load; Lag Deposit; Desert Pavement; Ventifacts,
Yardangs; Blowouts.!
Landscape Development: Alluvial Fan; Bajada; Pediment; Piedmont; Talus Slope;
Playa Lake; Salt Lake; Recognizing Fossil Deserts; Cliff Retreat; Inselbergs;
Plateaus, Mesas, Butte, Monument/Chimney; Cuesta; Hogsback.!
Eolian Deposits: Loess; Dand Dunes.!
Sand Dunes: Formation; Migration; Irregular/Star; Barchan; Parabolic; Transverse;
Longitudinal/Seif; Fossil Dunes.!
Desertification: Land Overuse; Wind; Unprotected Fields; Climate Change; 44
Diversion of Water; Aral Sea; Lake Chad.!