GSC 103 Study Guide - Final Guide: Overgrazing, Mcmurdo Dry Valleys, Desert Pavement

• School: University of Miami
• Department: Geological Sciences
• Course: GSC 103
• Professor: P E T E R L E E C H

Document Summary

Badlands- extensive tracts of heavily eroded, uncultivable land with little vegetation. Arroyos- a steep-sided gully cut by running water in an arid or semiarid region. Flash floods- a sudden local flood, typically due to heavy rain: wind, dust storms, and saltation. Dust storm- a strong, turbulent wind that carries clouds of fine dust, soil, and sand over a large area. Deflation- erosion by wind of loose material from flat areas of dry, uncemented sediments such as those occurring in deserts, dry lake beds, floodplains, and glacial outwash plains. Desert pavement- a tightly interlocked, varnished rock surface: loess and ergs. Loess- very fine, clay-like sediment deposited by the wind. Ergs- are vast tracks of shifting sand found in deserts: mesas and buttes. Mesas- an isolated flat-topped hill with steep sides, found in landscapes with horizontal strata. Buttes- an isolated hill with steep sides and a flat top: causes of desertification.