Adam C.

Simon
Ph.D., University of Maryland,
2003
Research Associate
Department of Geology
University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742
p: 301 405 0235
f: 301 314 9661
e-mail: asimon@geol.umd.edu

Deserts and Wind

Wind plays an important role in the erosion and
transportation of sediment, particularly in environments
where there is little water to fuel chemical weathering.

Today we will discuss the nature of deserts and how

wind shapes the sedimentary environment.

Why So Hot at the Equator?

Fig. 21.4

The angle of incidence of solar radiation dictates the total energy

flux, and hence the degree of heating on the Earths surface.

Desert Environments: Dry, not Hot

Deserts are defined by aridity (lack of water),
NOT high temperature.
cold

hot

hot

cold

Deserts currently cover about 1/5 of the land surface on Earth.

Cold Deserts

Large expanses of polar regions are vast deserts,

although never hot. Precipitation is rare:
snow blows in and ice flows in.

Meteorite Hunting

Meteorite collecting in Antarctica

is of major importance to the
planetary sciences.

Flow in ice sheets tends to concentrate meteorites into distinct plains.

Approximately 20,000 meteorites have been collected in Antarctica .

Even More
Reasons
to Like
Nebraska

The Sand Hills in western

Nebraska is the largest
dune-covered area in the
WESTERN
HEMISPHERE.

Golf, Sand Hills Style

dunes draped with thin
cover of vegetation

Very small environmental change would make this into another dust
bowl. One of the worlds great challenges in the new Millennium is the
battle against desertification, where productive soil-covered land is
being lost to agriculturally sterile desert.
What societal factors influence the spread of deserts?

Rain Shadows

Large mountain ranges may act as

traps for moist air.
The dry air in their shadows leads to
the prevalence of deserts on the
leeward side of mountain ranges.

p.258

Erosion by Wind
- abrasion by saltating
sand grains
- most significant only
within ~3 m of
ground surface
wood telephone pole
in desert of southern
CA, covered with
abrasion-resistant
material
but

- wind is great for

sorting particles,
ineffective
transporting
material > sand size

Erosion and Transportation by Wind

Desert Surfaces

desert pavement:
sediment on surface is
winnowed by wind, leaving
larger particles behind (this
process is called deflation)

ventifacts:
particles too large to be
transported are sandblasted,
taking on characteristic
angular shapes

Forming Desert Pavement

Frosted Grains

Since water is denser than air, transportation by wind is more

violent on individual grains. As such, wind-carried quartz sand
grains will develop a characteristic frosted coating.

Desert Varnish
Many rock surfaces in
desert environments
are covered by a
glossy dark coating,
desert varnish.
Made up of >70%
clay minerals and the
rest oxides of Fe
and/or Mn, this layer
represents some of
the scanty chemical
weathering in deserts.

Although not completely

understood, we know it develops
at rates of mm/thousand yr .

Desert Varnish
The high clay content
of desert varnish
comes mainly from
atmospheric dust
deposition on surfaces
where dew collects.
The process by which desert varnish forms may be at least
partially microbially mitigated: bacteria may play a significant role
in the oxidation of Fe and Mn.
By examining the different degrees of varnish formation on talus
we can put relative age constraints on different
mass wasting events in desert environments.

Deposition by Wind
Sand dunes are migratory features
in most cases, developed by a
process like that which produces
ripple marks in streams.

Dunes are internally

cross-bedded, which
has produced some
spectacular examples
in sedimentary rocks.

Criteria for Forming Dunes

- deep water table
- little vegetation
- wind of adequate force and persistence
- availability of small, unconsolidated sediment
* the specific shape of dunes is dictated by all of these factors *

sand dune
field in
northcentral
Death
Valley, CA

Dunes: Not All Alike

A single area commonly has a variety of dunes represented

(e.g., 50% barchans, 40% linear, 10% other types). Why?

Valles
Marineris
region

Dunes on
Mars

seasonal
dunes,
north polar
region, 6/00

Western U.S.
Basin & Range
This kind of topography
comes from crustal
extension, but in order to
last it needs to be in arid
climates, where chemical
weathering will not readily
destroy the sharp
variation in relief.
Do you remember the plate
tectonic significance of this
kind of topography?

Development of Basin & Range

Topography

Development of Basin & Range

Topography
conditions required:
- arid climate
- movement on normal
faults faster than
erosion

characteristic features:
- alluvial fans that do not
overlap (in early
stages)
- development of
seasonal saline lakes
(playas) and salt flats

Evolution of Basin & Range Topography

Eventually, alluvial
fans coalesce
(merge).
As they erode, the
ranges retreat. This
ultimately forms
features like
pediments, the eroded
fronts of mountain
ranges, covered with
continued normal fault movement =
deep, sediment-filled basins

sediment.

Scene from the Modern Western U.S.

Basin & Range
coalesced alluvial fans

playa

In closed basins, streams flow

when it rains, and the water
evaporates when it doesnt.

uplift of mountains (ranges)

on normal faults

More from the Basin & Range

coalesced alluvial fans

down-drop of valley (basin):

relative movement exceeds rate of erosion

playa

Closed Lakes

Closed lakes form in regions of interior drainage:

stream water flows in, but it does not flow out
(due to low topography). Regions such as these will, depending
on variation in climate, develop salt lakes.

The Basin and

Range of the
western U.S.
contains a
large number
of closed
lakes.
These lakes
are important
ecosystems,
and they are
very climatesensitive.

Mono Lake, CA

Mono Lake is in
eastern CA, at the
edge of the Sierra
Nevada.

Stronger then Seawater

salt lake: has a large amount of dissolved solids
alkaline lake: has large amount of dissolved carbonate
Mono Lake water is currently about 2.4 times saltier than
seawater and is as alkaline as household glass cleaner.
Make your own Mono Lake water:
1 gallon fresh water
18 Tbs baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)
10 Tbs table salt (sodium chloride)
8 tsp Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate)
pinch borax
pinch laundry detergent (with phosphates)
(note: do not drink your homemade Mono Lake water)

Mono Lake Level Change

1960

pre-1941: natural
6425
(climate-induced)
change in lake level

1956

Surface elevation (feet)

6415

1954
6405

1952
1950

6395

1948
6385

6375

1946
1944

from 1941 to 1994, lake

volume decreases
by 50%

1942

6365

1850

Surface elevation (meters)

1958

1940

1870

1890

1910

1930

1950

1970

1990

Mono Lake level has fluctuated by ~50 m in response to natural

climatic change over its ~1 Myr lifespan. Due to diversion of streams
(water piped to Los Angeles), Mono Lake was nearly destroyed.

When Lakes Dry Up

The Devils Golf Course (Death Valley):
a massive area of sedimentary mineral
formation through the process of
evaporation of surficial waters.

All of this stuff is composed of salts:

mainly halite, with some gypsum and calcite.

More on Evaporites

Up close, the whole area is a

mass of razor-like crystals.
Not a place for a long walk in
bare feet.
Do we see evaporites forming
on the U.S. east coast?

Topography and Rock Type

Mechanical contrasts result in the topography of the Grand
Canyon and neighboring regions, where prominent ridges are
sandstone and limestone formations (resistant),
slopes are shale-rich formations (easily eroded).

sandstone

shale

Characteristic Landforms of Arid Regions

In arid regions, since chemical weathering is weak, topography
tends to be sharp and dramatic. Erosion by physical processes
exaggerates mechanical contrasts between rocks.
Features such as mesas and buttes are common.

You are very unlikely

to see this kind of
topography on the
east coast of the US.

Formation of Plateaus

Resistant rocks remain and incompetent rocks (e.g., shales)

are eroded, forming the flat-topped plateaus,
mesas and buttes.
What are the requirements to form this kind of topography?

Credits
Some of the images in this presentation come from:
Plummer, McGeary and Carlson, Physical Geology (8th ed)
Press and Siever, Understanding Earth (3rd ed)
Marshak, Earth: Portrait of a Planet (1st ed)
NASA
The Antarctic Search for Meteorites program
LR Nittler (Carnegie Institution of Washington)
Lithosphere
R Sterner (JHU-APL)
L Wells (Vanderbilt Univ.)
UNEP
Mono Lake Committee
P Koines (Univ. Maryland)