4/24/2012

Aridlandscapes(drylands)important because
~3540%ofEarthssurface hometo2billionpeople(manydisadvantaged) 30%ofworldscultivatedplantsoriginatedin drylands characterizedbyscarcityofwater

Drylandslackwater

AridLandscapes& AeolianProcesses

low&variablerainfall,sometimesveryintense
CoastalPeru

highpotentialevapotranspiration(waterthatwould evaporate&transpireifwaterwerepresent)

SonoranDesert

MajorDeserts
SaharaDesert ArabianDesert

AtacamaDesert

GreatVictoriaDesert

4/24/2012

DrylandEnvironments
1. areasdominatedbysubtropicalhighpressure 2. leewardsideofmountains(rainshadows) 3. areasfarfrommoistairmasses(extreme continentality)

Lackwater BUT water moreimportant thanwindinshapingarid landscapes

Howcanthatbe?
LowRAIN

Howcanthatbe?
LowSOIL + LowVEGETATION

LowPERMEABILITY LowVEGETATION LowWEATHERING

LowINTERCEPTION

HIGHRUNOFF LowSOIL WHENTHEREISRAIN

4/24/2012

Riversflowduring&afterrain Desertstreamsareephemeral
ephemeral flowin responsetorain perennial flowyr round,sustainedby groundwater intermittent flow partofyr,some groundwaterinputs

Ephemeralbuteffective
highrunoff=highdrainagedensity

arroyo

fluvialerosioninanaridmontanelandscape

Braidedstreamsarecommon
desertstreamscarry coarsesediments(dueto lowweathering) whichtheytransport anddeposit causingstreamstosub divideandrejoin creatinglittleislands

Mostdesertstreamsdontmakeitto theocean(interiorbasin)
Why? infiltrationin channelbed evaporation
TaklamakanDesert,China

4/24/2012

Drylakebedsarecommon
playa =drylakebedinabasinofinteriordrainage SALTISAROCK!

Salina
salina= drylakebedwithhighconcentrationsofsaltinsediment

Permanentlakesarerare
covered most of Utah ~ 32,00014,000 years ago

Somedesertstreamsdo (exoticstreams)
butoriginateinhumidareas,runthrougharidregions

4/24/2012

USDeserts
(commontohavemtnsflankedbyplains)

Basinandrangeterrain
crustalthinning/rifting rangesofmountainsandhillsscatteredarounda seriesofinteriordrainagebasins

AlluvialFans

Mesaandscarpterrain
tectonicupliftanddowncutting

Photo by E. Marin-Spiotta

4/24/2012

Mesaandscarpterrain
flattop,steep sidedhill horizontal sedimentarystrata withdiffdegof resistancetoerosion createabrupt changesinslope angle Jetman

Badlands
rugged,barren,highlydissectedterrain(weak,easily erodedrock)

Photo by E. Marin-Spiotta

Aeolus
(GreekGodofwind)

Aeolian(Wind)Processes
aeolian(wind)processesimportantwhere

sparse vegetation

dryloose material

wind

eolian adjective (also aeolian) relating to or arising from the action of the wind

outcomes erosion,transportation, deposition

4/24/2012

Aeolian(Wind)Erosion
deflation removalandliftingofindividualloose particles abrasion grindingofrocksurfacesbysandblasting actionofparticlescapturedinair

DesertPavement
(aproductofdeflation,surfacecoveredw/closelypacked, interlockingangularorroundedrockfragmentsofpebble& cobblesize)

(Paul Gameau) http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/10/01/2701397.htm?site=westernplains

http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2004/1007/images/pavement2.gif

Yardangs
(aproductofabrasion,windformedridgesofrock)

AeolianTransportation

From Wind Erosion Research Unit, Wind Erosion Simulation Models.

4/24/2012

AeolianDeposition

CoastalDunes

http://www.epa.gov/greatlakes/image/vbig/452.jpg

LoessDeposits
depositsofwindblownsediment

Doaeolian(wind)processesonlyshape aridlandscapes? Wherewouldyouexpecttofindaeolian processesatwork?

1. aridlandscapes 2. oceancoasts 3. drylakebeds 4. recentalluvialorglaciallandcapes 5. plowedfields 6. overgrazedfields

Photo by J. Mason

4/24/2012

Geomorphicagents
(wind&watershapeEarthslandscapes)

Wind
rockmineralscannot dissolveinwind lowerdensity windmaterialcanspread overgreaterarea moreunpredictable sandsizedparticles flowvelocitydetermines competence

Water
rockmineralscandissolve inwater higherdensity vertical/horizontal movementofrivermaterial morelimited morepredictable claybouldersizedparticles flowvelocitydetermines competence

Ifthereisnowaterindrylands, wheredoplantsandanimalsand somepeoplegettheirwater?

DammingofExoticRivers

Irrigation

Salt River Project, Arizona

4/24/2012

TheHohokamAD450 1400

Sometimes fog!

An extensive system: large sites, civilization collapsed due to salinization of fields Many modern canals overlie Hohokam ones

Rootlessplantsthatliveoffof fog

10

4/24/2012

FogCollector
giantfogcollectors aroundLima,Peru,to collectfogforpoor urbanpopulations

UNTGeography
Herewestudy
Riversandstreams,Dr.Pan Geomorphology
Coasts,Dr.Williams Soils,Dr.Ferring

Southwesternarchaeology,me Deposition,Dr.Ponette Gonzlez

11