Hot desert processes and landforms
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Flip to reveal answersDefine weathering (in a desert).
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All 12 Flashcards — Hot desert processes and landforms
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Question
Define weathering (in a desert).
Answer
The breakdown of rock **in place** (no transport), by heat, salt or chemical action.
Question
What is aeolian action?
Answer
**Wind** action - the wind **erodes** (abrasion, deflation), **transports** and **deposits** sand.
Question
Define abrasion (wind).
Answer
Wind-blown sand **sandblasts** rock, wearing it away - strongest near the ground where most sand is carried.
Question
Define deflation.
Answer
Wind **lifts and removes** loose sand, lowering the surface into a hollow or leaving desert pavement.
Question
How does a sand dune form?
Answer
By **aeolian deposition** - wind carrying sand slows or hits an obstacle and drops its load; the dune then migrates.
Question
Two desert weathering processes?
Answer
**Exfoliation** (heating/cooling peels off layers) and **salt crystal growth** (crystals prise rock apart); also granular disintegration, hydrolysis.
Question
How does a rock pedestal form?
Answer
Wind **abrasion is strongest near the ground**, wearing the base thin while the top survives - a mushroom shape.
Question
Name a water-formed desert landform + process.
Answer
An **alluvial fan** - a flash-flooded channel leaves the mountains, slows, and deposits a fan of sediment.
Question
What controls which sand dune forms?
Answer
The **sand supply, wind (strength/direction) and vegetation** - read off the triangular graph.
Question
Why does vegetation matter for dunes?
Answer
It **slows the wind** and roots **bind the sand**, so sand is deposited and the dune is anchored.
Question
Wind vs water - which makes what?
Answer
**Wind**: dunes, pedestals, yardangs, deflation hollows. **Water**: wadis, alluvial fans, playas, mesas/buttes.
Question
What does a top [10] water-vs-wind essay need?
Answer
Two+ landforms tied to processes, **named deserts**, a weighing of water vs wind (incl. over time), and a clear judgement.
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Topic 9.2 hub
Physical processes and landscapes
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